certainty

American  

[sur-tn-tee] / ˈsɜr tn ti /

noun

plural

certainties

1. the state of being certain.

   Synonyms:

   confidence, assurance, certitude

2. something certain; an assured fact.

   Synonyms:

   truth

---

idioms

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

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

certainty British  

/ ˈsɜːtəntɪ /

noun

1. the condition of being certain

2. something established as certain or inevitable

3. without doubt

---

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

"We can't look back, all we can do is look to the future," said Jones, adding the UK government's investment brought "certainty, confidence and optimism".

From BBC

There’s a special kind of comfort in having a short list of meals you know, with almost mathematical certainty, will land.

From Salon

“Long-term planning for a product that won’t be ready for years is already tough enough. We need the certainty of tariff-free trade for America’s only native spirit to flourish.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Declaring certainty in either direction carries risks, but only one direction preserves the ability to update our understanding as evidence accumulates.

From The Wall Street Journal

One of the more obscure certainties in life is that once you hit the age for required minimum distributions, which is now 73, you have to take them from your accounts that have pretax money.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• confidence
• inevitability
• trust