uncertainty

[uhn-sur-tn-tee]

See more synonyms for uncertainty on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural un·cer·tain·ties for 2.

the state of being uncertain; doubt; hesitancy: His uncertainty gave impetus to his inquiry.
an instance of uncertainty, doubt, etc.
unpredictability; indeterminacy; indefiniteness.

Origin of uncertainty

1350–1400; Middle English uncerteynte; see un-¹, certainty

Synonyms

See more synonyms for uncertainty on Thesaurus.com

1. hesitation, irresolution, indecision, ambivalence.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for uncertainty

Contemporary Examples

New York blinks in the face of uncertainty and bans hydraulic fracturing.
New York’s Conservative Fracking Ban
Jay Michaelson
December 20, 2014
But for me, this admittance of uncertainty and doubts grounds Serial in reality.
Adnan Killed Her! No, Jay Did It! Serial’s Uncertain, True-to-Reality End
Emily Shire
December 18, 2014
His Canon camera dangled by his side and the feeling of uncertainty over what he could now report punctuated everything he said.
Turkey Arrests Journalists in Crackdown
Jesse Rosenfeld
December 14, 2014
Kundera sees fiction as a realm of many partial truths, its only certainty “the wisdom of uncertainty.”
The Birth of the Novel
Nick Romeo
November 27, 2014
If the certainty of the wisdom of uncertainty is itself uncertain, the force of the definition crumbles by logical standards.
The Birth of the Novel
Nick Romeo
November 27, 2014

Historical Examples

The Street came decorously, albeit with a degree of uncertainty as to supper.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
The child did not know what to say, but it was not natural to her to remain long in uncertainty.
Rico and Wiseli
Johanna Spyri
Then there had been the misery of terrible suspense, a wait of uncertainty.
Thoroughbreds
W. A. Fraser
This uncertainty led to a most unfortunate precipitation on his part.
Hetty's Strange History
Anonymous
There was something of uncertainty and remonstrance in her look; something that was not all satisfaction.
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens

British Dictionary definitions for uncertainty

uncertainty

noun plural -ties

Also called: uncertainness the state or condition of being uncertain
an uncertain matter, contingency, etc

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

Word Origin and History for uncertainty

n.

late 14c., from uncertain + -ty.

uncertainty

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}uncertainty

Synonyms

Examples from the Web for uncertainty

Contemporary Examples

New York blinks in the face of uncertainty and bans hydraulic fracturing.

But for me, this admittance of uncertainty and doubts grounds Serial in reality.

His Canon camera dangled by his side and the feeling of uncertainty over what he could now report punctuated everything he said.

Kundera sees fiction as a realm of many partial truths, its only certainty “the wisdom of uncertainty.”

If the certainty of the wisdom of uncertainty is itself uncertain, the force of the definition crumbles by logical standards.

Historical Examples

The Street came decorously, albeit with a degree of uncertainty as to supper.

The child did not know what to say, but it was not natural to her to remain long in uncertainty.

Then there had been the misery of terrible suspense, a wait of uncertainty.

This uncertainty led to a most unfortunate precipitation on his part.

There was something of uncertainty and remonstrance in her look; something that was not all satisfaction.

uncertainty

Word Origin and History for uncertainty

n.

Origin of uncertainty