certainty
Americannoun
-
certainties
plural
-
the state of being certain.
- Synonyms:
- confidence, assurance, certitude
-
something certain; an assured fact.
- Synonyms:
- truth
idioms
noun
-
the condition of being certain
-
something established as certain or inevitable
-
without doubt
Synonym Usage
See belief.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of certainty
1250–1300; Middle English certeinte < Anglo-French, equivalent to certein certain + -te -ty 2
Explanation
A certainty is a sure thing, something we know is true or will happen without any doubt. Here's a certainty: One plus one is two. And here's another: The earth orbits the sun. The noun certainty comes from the Latin word certus, meaning "sure" or "fixed." Besides being something that is certain, the word can also refer to a state of mind, like the confidence you feel when you know something is completely true or right. For example, you might speak with certainty about your decision to move to the big city and pursue your dream of becoming a famous actor. (But that doesn't necessarily mean becoming a famous actor is a certainty.)
Vocabulary lists containing certainty
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Ukrainians consult them to track potential Russian attacks, like people check weather applications for storms but with less certainty, shorter warning, and deadly stakes.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
I am simply standing in front of it with considerably more information than I had five minutes ago, and no corresponding increase in certainty.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
Either Bass or Raman could win, but if the public’s understanding of the markets is murky, experts say, voters may confuse their speculation for certainty.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Curaleaf cautioned that no formal takeover bid has begun yet and there is no certainty the proposed offer will be made.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
It was at that very moment that I knew with certainty we would always be one, together forever, protecting our loved ones, braving the wind and illuminating the sky.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
AI systems produce probabilities, and people treat them as certainties.
From Salon ● May 12, 2026
City's win leaves them only two points behind the Gunners, who showed signs of creaking under pressure as they cast aside a two-goal lead to draw with relegation certainties Wolverhampton Wanderers in midweek.
From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2026
One of the more obscure certainties in life is that once you hit the age for required minimum distributions, which is now 73, you have to take them from your accounts that have pretax money.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 24, 2025
Along this march to freedom, we gained profound certainties of the soul—truths that have given our lives a deeper meaning and prepared us to build a great future in peace.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 11, 2025
Without the support of old certainties and consolations, almost mechanically, he assumes the procedures and doctrines of the classroom.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
