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. Bertrand Russell:

   When one admits that nothing is certain one must, I think, also admit that some things are much more nearly certain than others. It is much more nearly certain that we are assembled here tonight than it is that this or that political party is in the right. Certainly there are degrees of certainty, and one should be very careful to emphasize that fact, because otherwise one is landed in an utter skepticism, and complete skepticism would, of course, be totally barren and completely useless.

2. George Herbert Walker Bush:

   The notion of political correctness . declares certain topics. certain expressions . even certain gestures off-limits. What began as a crusade for civility has soured into a cause of conflict and even censorship.

3. Margaret Hilda Thatcher:

   I have a habit of comparing the phraseology of communiqus, one with another across the years, and noting a certain similarity of words, a certain similarity of optimism in the reports which followed the summit meetings and a certain similarity in the lack of practical results during the ensuing years.

4. Oscar Wilde:

   To be good, according to the vulgar standard of goodness, is obviously quite easy. It merely requires a certain amount of sordid terror, a certain lack of imaginative thought, and a certain low passion for middle-class respectability.

5. Jemele Hill:

   What I would say, though, is that they have the benefit of privilege to be able to distance and disassociate themselves from certain issues. Me, as a woman of color, I feel vulnerable to certain behaviors, certain policies and certain things that he’s said and done.

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