nailed-on

British

adjective

slang certain, definite; guaranteed to be successful

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

The modelling is not a nailed-on prediction or projection.

From BBC • Oct. 26, 2023

TMS commentator Daniel Norcross: "Jamie Smith is a nailed-on certainty to be playing cricket for England in four years."

From BBC • Aug. 3, 2023

With De Bruyne in their team, anything is possible and that's why Arsenal are by no means nailed-on champions just yet.

From BBC • Jan. 5, 2023

So this isn’t a nailed-on 4-0 away win to which City cruise after a couple of minor early scares.

From The Guardian • Oct. 19, 2021

With anxiety levels so high, wearing nailed-on modern classics such as slipdresses and bucket hats alleviates the stress of trying to fit into a trend or wear the right thing.

From The Guardian • Jun. 17, 2020

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023