Synonyms

certainty

American

[sur-tn-tee] / ˈsɜr tn ti /

noun

plural

certainties

the state of being certain.

Synonyms:

confidence, assurance, certitude
something certain; an assured fact.

Synonyms:

truth

idioms

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

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

certainty British

/ ˈsɜːtəntɪ /

noun

the condition of being certain
something established as certain or inevitable
without doubt

"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

Related Words

See belief.

Other Word Forms

noncertainty noun

Etymology

Origin of certainty

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

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.

"We are forging new partnerships abroad to create greater certainty, security and prosperity at home."

From Barron's

He says costs disappeared into different budgets, making them hard to trace, and there was little certainty over who had been in Andrew's entourage.

From BBC

"Clarity and legal certainty are needed before any further steps are taken," he added.

From Barron's

“Until there’s certainty that tariffs won’t return under a different authority, we can’t make any long-term decisions,” she said in a statement.

From MarketWatch

Sammy played a straight when quizzed about the fixture list by reporters, saying the format gave certainty to teams and fans.

From Barron's

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