What does certain mean?
Definitions for certain
ˈsɜr tncer·tain
Here are all the possible meanings and translations of the word certain.
Princeton's WordNet
certain(a)(adj)
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"
certain(p), sure(adj)
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"
certain(p)(adj)
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, sure(adj)
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"
sealed, certain(adj)
established irrevocably
"his fate is sealed"
certain, sure(adj)
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"
certain, sure(adj)
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"
Wiktionary
certain(Adjective)
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.
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
certain(Adjective)
Sure, positive, not doubting.
I was certain of my decision.
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
Webster Dictionary
Certain(adj)
assured in mind; having no doubts; free from suspicions concerning
Certain(adj)
determined; resolved; -- used with an infinitive
Certain(adj)
not to be doubted or denied; established as a fact
Certain(adj)
actually existing; sure to happen; inevitable
Certain(adj)
unfailing; infallible
Certain(adj)
fixed or stated; regular; determinate
Certain(adj)
not specifically named; indeterminate; indefinite; one or some; -- sometimes used independenty as a noun, and meaning certain persons
Certain(noun)
certainty
Certain(noun)
a certain number or quantity
Certain(adverb)
certainly
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
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 Contribution
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
British National Corpus
Spoken Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'certain' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #419
Written Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'certain' in Written Corpus Frequency: #518
Adjectives Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'certain' in Adjectives Frequency: #45
Anagrams for certain »
tercian
tacrine
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of certain in Chaldean Numerology is: 3
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of certain in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7
Examples of certain in a Sentence
America has played a certain role in Asia since 1945 ... that role has in the end of the day been a stabilizer, that's what being undermined here with a president who thrives on unpredictability ... it's going to eat away at the fundamental credibility of the US role in Asia.
There has always been communication between lenders and authorizers generally, we want it to be more fruitful and more efficient. Some of the stories about lender-authorizer communications betray a certain informality. While you want a friendly open relationship you need to know what the official record is saying and what decisions the authorizing body is making.
The sciences do not try to explain, they hardly even try to interpret, they mainly make models. By a model is meant a mathematical construct which, with the addition of certain verbal interpretations, describes observed phenomena. The justification of such a mathematical construct is solely and precisely that it is expected to work.
When I taught my children how to drive, there were certain aspects of driving that they needed to learn, and one of them was driving at night.
Simply showing certain job ads to different age groups on services like Facebook or Google may not in itself be discriminatory — just as it can be OK to run employment ads in magazines and on TV shows targeted at younger or older people, what matters is that marketing is broadly based and inclusive, not simply focused on a particular age group.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
Translations for certain
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- أكيد, محدّد, متأكدArabic
- определен, уверен, сигуренBulgarian
- certCatalan, Valencian
- určitý, jistýCzech
- visse, vist, vis, sikker, sikre, sikkertDanish
- gewiss, sicher, bestimmtGerman
- βέβαιοςGreek
- cierta, ciertoSpanish
- مسلم - قطعیPersian
- varma, muuan, tiettyFinnish
- certainFrench
- deimhin, dearfa, cinnteIrish
- deimhinne, cinnteachScottish Gaelic
- bizonyos, biztosHungarian
- tertentuIndonesian
- viss, öruggur, ákveðinnIcelandic
- certoItalian
- מסויםHebrew
- とある, 定か, 一定, 確か, 特定, あるJapanese
- ជាក់លាក់Khmer
- quīdam, certusLatin
- zekerDutch
- visse, visst, viss, sikker, enkelteNorwegian
- ନିର୍ଦ୍ଦିଷ୍ଟOriya
- pewnyPolish
- certoPortuguese
- anumit, sigur, cert, anumeRomanian
- уверенный, некий, определённый, некоторыйRussian
- tzeltu, tzertu, certuSardinian
- nȅkī, òdrēđen, sȉgūranSerbo-Croatian
- gotovSlovene
- säkert, säker, vissa, säkra, visst, vissSwedish
- แน่นอนThai
- kesin, belliTurkish
- זיכערYiddish
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"certain." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2021. Web. 22 Jan. 2021. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/certain>.