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

There are so many different things in our contracts in our World Tour in terms race organizers needing a certain amount of TV coverage, minimum safety guidelines.

From BBC

To be certain, things are still very bleak in America.

From Salon

Walt Disney Imagineering has in recent years been trying to upend the expectations that come with certain ride systems.

From Los Angeles Times

State voters also passed Proposition 36, which will enact harsher penalties for certain types of thefts and drug crimes.

From Los Angeles Times

Ms Gunston, of Bexhill, East Sussex, is now calling for a law to require the owners of certain dog breeds to display a sign outside their house to warn people.

From BBC

Related Words

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

When To Use

What are other ways to say certain?

Someone who is certain of something is free from doubt or reservation about it. How is certain different from sure, confident, and positive? Find out on Thesaurus.com.