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Synonyms

in no uncertain terms

Idioms  

  1. Emphatically, definitely so. For example, Jane told them in no uncertain terms that she wanted no part of their practical joke. The double negative in this idiom serves for emphasis. [Mid-1900s] Also see in so many words.

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.

On Monday, though, Michigan proved in no uncertain terms that this was a new era in college basketball.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

“We condemn this in no uncertain terms: Los Angeles was built by immigrants and it thrives because of immigrants,” the group stated.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2025

The turning point came when his mother reminded him in no uncertain terms that giving up would mean having to find a 'proper' job.

From BBC • Mar. 11, 2025

The prime minister's office rejected this characterization of the 45-minute phone call, saying that they told Trump in no uncertain terms "that Greenland is not for sale."

From Salon • Jan. 24, 2025

He wasn’t, like Feral, almost all the way over the line into adulthood, but all the way over it: a man in no uncertain terms.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

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.