Definition of CERTAIN

certain

Adjective Satellite

  • definite but not specified or identified
    • "set aside a certain sum each week"
    • "to a certain degree"
    • "certain breeds do not make good pets"
    • "certain members have not paid their dues"
    • "a certain popular teacher"
    • "a certain Mrs. Jones"
  • reliable in operation or effect
    • "a quick and certain remedy"
  • exercising or taking care great enough to bring assurance
    • "be certain to disconnect the iron when you are through"

Adjective

  • having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
    • "felt certain of success"
    • "was sure (or certain) she had seen it"
  • established beyond doubt or question; definitely known
    • "what is certain is that every effect must have a cause"
    • "it is certain that they were on the bus"
    • "his fate is certain"
    • "the date for the invasion is certain"
  • certain to occur; destined or inevitable; ; ; - Benjamin Franklin
    • "he was certain to fail"
    • "his fate is certain"
    • "In this life nothing is certain but death and taxes"
    • "he faced certain death"
  • established irrevocably
  • -TAINER, -TAINEST absolutely confident

Adj

  • Sure in one's mind, positive; absolutely confident in the truth of something.
  • Not to be doubted or denied; established as a fact.
  • Sure to happen, inevitable; assured.
  • Unfailing; infallible.
  • Fixed; regular; determinate.
  • Particular and definite, but unspecified or unnamed; used to introduce someone or something without going into further detail.
  • Used to denote that the speaker is referring to a specific person or thing that they do not want to name directly, implying that the listener should infer the identity of the referent.
  • Named but not previously mentioned.
  • Used before the name of someone famous that people are expected to know.
  • Determined; resolved.

Det

  • Having been determined but not specified.

Pron

  • Unnamed or undescribed members (of).

Examples

  • "at certain intervals"
  • "Bankruptcy is the certain outcome of your constant gambling and lending."
  • "Certain people are good at running."
  • "Each morning, she would see a certain man rush past her window on his way to work."
  • "Every wine has a certain distinctive character which sets it apart from all others."
  • "I was certain of my decision."
  • "I would have been here on time, but a certain someone lost the car keys!"
  • "It is certain that Spain will reach the finals. / Spain is now certain to reach the finals. / Spain is now certain of a place in the finals."
  • "Looking inside the cover, they learned that the book had once belonged to a certain R. Jones."
  • "Now that more experiments have been run, the theory is certain and the argument is settled."
  • "She mentioned a series of contracts, of which certain are not cited."
  • "Since the last British government to make such a proposal was that of a certain Margaret Thatcher, it might not seem unreasonable."

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English certeyn, certein, certain, borrowed from Old French certain, from a Vulgar Latin unattested form *certānus, extended form of Latin certus (“fixed, resolved, certain”), of the same origin as cretus, past participle of cernere (“to separate, perceive, decide”). Displaced native Middle English wis, iwis (“certain, sure”) (from Old English ġewiss (“certain, sure”)) and alternative Middle English spelling sertane (“some, certain”).

Antonyms

uncertain, unsealed, unsure, impossible, incidental, particular specific

Scrabble Score: 9

certain: valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
certain: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
certain: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 11

certain is a valid Words With Friends word