certainty

[sur-tn-tee]

noun

plural

certainties 

1. the state of being certain.

   Synonyms: confidence, assurance, certitude

2. something certain; an assured fact.

   Synonyms: truth

certainty

/ ˈsɜːtəntɪ /

noun

1. the condition of being certain

2. something established as certain or inevitable

3. without doubt

Other Word Forms

• noncertainty noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of certainty¹

1250–1300; Middle English certeinte < Anglo-French, equivalent to certein certain + -te -ty ²

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. for / of a certainty, certainly; without a doubt.

   I suspect it, but I don't know it for a certainty.

Synonym Study

See belief.

Example Sentences

He added the government had increased the headroom for the Treasury to meet the fiscal rules, which would creates "certainty and stability for business".

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Nov. 21: For the agnostic investor worried that AI might be a bubble, the good news is that certainty isn’t required to move to a portfolio that is less dependent on the AI trade.

Read more on Barron's

Nov. 21: For the agnostic investor worried that AI might be a bubble, the good news is that certainty isn’t required to move to a portfolio that is less dependent on the AI trade.

Read more on Barron's

The EU in September said it would fast-track a review of its plans to give carmakers more certainty.

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R360 chiefs said the new timescale would offer a number of benefits including "stronger market conditions, greater commercial certainty, and a significantly more favourable environment for players".

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• confidence 
• inevitability www.thesaurus.com
• trust