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:
One whose deployment can be paused until we we have a decent level of certainty it won’t cause harm.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
But neither was enough to predict with certainty that a catastrophic collapse was imminent.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
As for its onshoring agreement, he reckons it gives greater certainty with regard to tariff exposure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
It is understood Burnham was mindful of mounting speculation and wanted to give victims and the public as much certainty at the earliest possible opportunity.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
“Only fools and liars speak with certainty about things beyond their control,” he replied.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
Death, taxes and Jean Smart winning another Emmy are among life’s certainties.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
These calculations are useful, but they are estimates rather than certainties.
From MarketWatch ● May 26, 2026
AI systems produce probabilities, and people treat them as certainties.
From Salon ● May 12, 2026
Bournemouth and Palace offer up two certainties of managerial change, but decisions may well have to be made elsewhere depending on events between now and the end of the season.
From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026
Unfortunately, there are few certainties regarding the lives of our forager ancestors.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
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.
