certainty

[ sur-tn-tee ]

noun

, plural cer·tain·ties.

1. the state of being certain.

   Synonyms: confidence, assurance, certitude

2. something certain; an assured fact.

   Synonyms: truth

certainty

/ ˈsɜːtəntɪ /

noun

1. the condition of being certain
2. something established as certain or inevitable
3. for a certainty
   without doubt

Other Words From

• non·certain·ty noun plural noncertainties

Word History and Origins

Origin of certainty¹

1250–1300; Middle English certeinte < Anglo-French, equivalent to certein certain + -te -ty ²

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. for / of a certainty, certainly; without a doubt:

   I suspect it, but I don't know it for a certainty.

Synonym Study

See belief.

Example Sentences

Hughes is a more relaxed, social person, if ultimately more hamstrung by moral certainty.

From Los Angeles Times

Given her history of physical issues, and the defiant manner in which she makes her own decisions even if they are viewed unfavourably from the outside, you would not have predicted with complete certainty she would be alongside her Great Britain team-mates.

From BBC

The timing is challenging for UC, which begins issuing offers of admission in March before it knows with certainty how much state funding it will receive.

From Los Angeles Times

And it’s only a top-up for a year, with no certainty over long-term funding.

From BBC

“If you know that your bus is coming in five minutes, then you know you have that certainty,” says Silviya Barrett, director of policy and research from the Campaign for Better Transport.

From BBC

Related Words

• confidence
• inevitability
• trust