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
There is much less certainty regarding the beginning of the end of Jim Crow.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
“There are very few certainties or permanent decisions in my life right now,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
This is an inflection point, with Iran poised precariously between old certainties and future possibilities, both at home and abroad.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 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
Pure mathematics does indeed deal with certainties, but its applications are only as good as the underlying empirical assumptions, simplifications, and estimations that go into them.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
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.
