certain

[ sur-tn ]

adjective

1. free from doubt or reservation; confident; sure:

   I am certain he will come.

   Synonyms: satisfied

2. destined; sure to happen (usually followed by an infinitive):

   He is certain to be there.

3. inevitable; bound to come:

   They realized then that war was certain.

4. established as true or sure; unquestionable; indisputable:

   It is certain that he tried.

   Synonyms: clear, plain, obvious, incontrovertible, irrefutable, incontestable, indubitable

5. fixed; agreed upon; settled:

   on a certain day; for a certain amount.

   Synonyms: determined

6. definite or particular, but not named or specified:

   A certain person phoned. He had a certain charm.

7. that may be depended on; trustworthy; unfailing; reliable:

   His aim was certain.

8. some though not much:

   a certain reluctance.

9. Obsolete. steadfast.

pronoun

1. certain ones:

   Certain of the members declined the invitation.

certain

/ ˈsɜːtən /

adjective

1. postpositive positive and confident about the truth of something; convinced

   I am certain that he wrote a book

2. usually postpositive definitely known

   it is certain that they were on the bus

3. usually postpositive sure; bound; destined

   he was certain to fail

4. decided or settled upon; fixed

   the date is already certain for the invasion

5. unfailing; reliable

   his judgment is certain

6. moderate or minimum

   to a certain extent

7. make certain of
   to ensure (that one will get something); confirm

adverb

1. for certain
   definitely; without a doubt

   he will win for certain

determiner

1. 1. known but not specified or named

      certain people may doubt this

   2. ( as pronoun; functioning as plural )

      certain of the members have not paid their subscriptions

2. named but not known

   he had written to a certain Mrs Smith

Word History and Origins

Origin of certain¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin certānus (unrecorded), from Latin cert(us) “sure, settled” (adjective use of past participle of cernere “to decide, separate, sift”) + -ānus -an

Word History and Origins

Origin of certain¹

C13: from Old French, from Latin certus sure, fixed, from cernere to discern, decide

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. for certain, without a doubt; surely:

   I know for certain that I have seen that face before.

More idioms and phrases containing certain

see for certain .

Example Sentences

Though Bianca’s doggedness mirrors the Jackal’s — they also share certain work-life problems — Lynch’s innate soulfulness softens her character.

From Los Angeles Times

The idea that celebrities could somehow use their cultural power to get fans to vote for certain candidates struck me as ridiculous at best, and snobby and condescending at worst.

From Slate

Apparently, Elon Musk is a fixture, "weighing in on staffing decisions, making clear his preference for certain roles,"

From Salon

The court was told that Mr Thomas had told Mr Bush: "I thought and wondered about killing you. I just wanted to see what would happen if I do certain things."

From BBC

Right around that age, I became obsessed with a few brands and started collecting; whether it was trading cards or shoes or certain clothing items, there was this curiosity and interest in organizing and collecting.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• absolute
• clear
• definite
• genuine
• positive
• real
• safe
• sure
• true
• undeniable