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

adverb

1. for certain
   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

Certain features of its history suggest why this may be the case.

From The Daily Beast

Unlike the Soviet Union at a certain period in history, the Russian economy does not hold a candle to that of the United States.

From The Daily Beast

I believe in the power of institutions—Congress, public policy, certain ideas about politics—that last for a long time.

From The Daily Beast

At least for now, because few things about this dispute are absolutely certain.

From The Daily Beast

And a certain presumed presidential candidate needs to be doing it, too.

From The Daily Beast

On certain of the stems the fertile cone appears and the spores are ripened about June, after which the process withers.

From Project Gutenberg

The possibilities of certain branches of teaching have been altogether revolutionized by the cinematograph.

From Project Gutenberg

M'Bongo and his whole court are now clothed, I am happy to say, at least to a certain extent.

From Project Gutenberg

After a bit of waiting, Mac decided that the smoke was floating from a certain direction, and we began to edge carefully that way.

From Project Gutenberg

He has secured the release of certain Spanish prisoners, and is building two ships.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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