Definitions for certain
ˈsɜr tncer·tain

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:2.8 / 6 votes

1. certain(a)adjective

   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"

2. certain(p), sureadjective

   having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured

   "felt certain of success"; "was sure (or certain) she had seen it"; "was very sure in his beliefs"; "sure of her friends"

3. certain(p)adjective

   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"

4. certain, sureadjective

   certain to occur; destined or inevitable

   "he was certain to fail"; "his fate is certain"; "In this life nothing is certain but death and taxes"- Benjamin Franklin; "he faced certain death"; "sudden but sure regret"; "he is sure to win"

5. sealed, certainadjective

   established irrevocably

   "his fate is sealed"

6. certain, sureadjective

   reliable in operation or effect

   "a quick and certain remedy"; "a sure way to distinguish the two"; "wood dust is a sure sign of termites"

7. certain, sureadjective

   exercising or taking care great enough to bring assurance

   "be certain to disconnect the iron when you are through"; "be sure to lock the doors"

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. certainadjective

   Having been determined but unspecified. The quality of some particular subject or object which is known by the speaker to have been specifically singled out among similar entities of its class.

   I was certain of my decision.

2. certainadjective

   Sure, positive, not doubting.

   I was certain of my decision.

3. Etymology: From certain, certein, from certain, from unattested form, extended form of certus, of the same origin as cretus, past participle of cernere. Displaced native wis, iwis (from gewiss ġewis, ġewiss and alternative spelling sertane

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. CERTAINadjective

   Etymology: certus, Lat.

   1. Sure; indubitable; unquestionable; undoubted; that which cannot be questioned, or denied.

   This it is equally certain of, whether these ideas be more or less general. John Locke.

   Those things are certain among men, which cannot be denied, without obstinacy and folly. John Tillotson.

   2. Resolved; determined.

   However I with thee have fix’d my lot,
   Certain to undergo like doom of death,
   Consort with thee. John Milton, Par. Lost, b. ix. l. 953.

   3. In an indefinite sense, some; as, a certain man told me this.

   How bad soever this fashion may justly be accounted, certain of the same countrymen do pass far beyond it. Richard Carew, Survey.

   I got them in my country’s service, when
   Some certain of your brethren roar’d, and ran
   From noise of our own drums. William Shakespeare, Coriolanus.

   Let there be certain leather bags made of several bignesses, which, for the matter of them, should be tractable. John Wilkins.

   4. Undoubting; put past doubt.

   This form before Alcyone present,
   To make her certain of the sad event. Dryden.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. certain

   An adjective used to describe something that is definite, absolute, or without doubt. It suggests that there is no uncertainty or ambiguity about the subject or situation at hand.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:3.0 / 3 votes

1. Certainadjective

   assured in mind; having no doubts; free from suspicions concerning

2. Certainadjective

   determined; resolved; -- used with an infinitive

3. Certainadjective

   not to be doubted or denied; established as a fact

4. Certainadjective

   actually existing; sure to happen; inevitable

5. Certainadjective

   unfailing; infallible

6. Certainadjective

   fixed or stated; regular; determinate

7. Certainadjective

   not specifically named; indeterminate; indefinite; one or some; -- sometimes used independenty as a noun, and meaning certain persons

8. Certainnoun

   certainty

9. Certainnoun

   a certain number or quantity

10. Certainadverb

    certainly

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Certain

   sėr′tān, or sėr′tin, adj. sure: not to be doubted: resolved: fixed: regular: inevitable: some: one.—advs. Cer′tainly, (Scot.) Cer′ty, Cer′tie.—ns. Cer′titude, Cer′tainty.—'A certain person,' implying some degree of contempt; A lady of a certain age, of an age best not stated accurately—at least no longer young.—For certain, assuredly.—Moral certainty, a conviction so justifiable that one is morally entitled to act on it. [O. Fr.,—L. certus—cern-ĕre, to decide.]

Editors ContributionRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. certain

   To feel and know with our conscience, consciousness, heart, mind, subconscious, spirit and soul.

   They both are certain they are getting married to each other.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on February 22, 2020  

Surnames Frequency by Census RecordsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. CERTAIN

   According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Certain is ranked #26086 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
   
   The Certain surname appeared 939 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Certain.
   
   74.5% or 700 total occurrences were White.
   15.4% or 145 total occurrences were Black.
   5.5% or 52 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
   2.5% or 24 total occurrences were of two or more races.
   1% or 10 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.
   0.8% or 8 total occurrences were Asian.

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'certain' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #419

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'certain' in Written Corpus Frequency: #518

3. Adjectives Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'certain' in Adjectives Frequency: #45

Anagrams for certain »

1. tacrine

2. tercian

3. centiar

4. nacrite

5. nectria

6. citrean

How to pronounce certain?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say certain in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of certain in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of certain in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of certain in a Sentence

1. G. K. Chesterton:

   It is not bigotry to be certain we are right; but it is bigotry to be unable to imagine how we might possibly have gone wrong.

2. Daniel Flores:

   General Motors is voluntarily recalling certain 2014-2015 model year Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles to replace the front windshield wiper-modules in these vehicles.

3. Louise Rollins-Smith:

   Amphibians, especially certain groups of frogs, produce and store large amounts of antimicrobial peptides in specialized granular glands in the skin, when the skin is injured or the frog is alarmed, they release large amounts of the peptides to protect the skin.

4. Daniel Goleman:

   There's a little fallacy that we have to enrich our children's experience with every kind of lesson and every kind of sport and every kind of club, and that backfires at a certain point.

5. French President Francois Hollande:

   On the election issue ... it will take longer. We don't want elections to get held in eastern Ukrainian territories under conditions that would not respect Minsk, it's therefore likely, even certain now, that - since we need three months to organize elections - we would go beyond the date that was set for the end of Minsk, that is to say Dec.31, 2015.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=certain
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Certain
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=certain
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/certain
6. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=certain
7. ^ Surnames Frequency by Census Records
   https://www.census.gov/topics/population/genealogy/data/2010_surnames.html