What does certain mean?

Definitions for certain
ˈsɜr tncer·tain

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word certain.

Princeton's WordNet

  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"

Wiktionary

  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 Dictionary

  1. CERTAINadjective

    Etymology: certus, Lat.

    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.

    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.

    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.

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

ChatGPT

  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 Dictionary

  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 Dictionary

  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. certuscern-ĕre, to decide.]

Editors Contribution

  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 Records

  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?

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. Marc Agnifilo:

    I think she was of the view that certain critical facts weren't being handled the right way by the government agencies whose responsibility it is to handle these things.

  2. Staff Chairman Mark Milley:

    According to Milley, the calls were arranged due to “concerning intelligence” that the Chinese were concerned about a potential US attack on them. “I know, I am certain that President Trump did not intend to attack the Chinese,” Milley said. “My task at that time was to de-escalate.”

  3. Brandon Bell/Getty Images:

    There are limits in terms of number of hours per year certain facilities can operate for environmental purposes, the Secretary of Energy or the EPA could waive some of those restrictions to allow for greater use of existing assets to meet these periods of shortfall. So, there is something right here you could do in summer of 2022 to help mitigate the situation a little, but there's a lot more investments [ that are ] going to have to [ be ] made in the long run.

  4. Alice Cordier:

    The right-wing politicians of tomorrow will all have gone through IFP, of that I am almost certain.

  5. Renae A. Sauter:

    Be careful not to censor yourself to fit a certain situation or group of people. When we start to censor ourselves we can easily censor ourselves right out of our lives.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

certain#1#1100#10000

Translations for certain

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"certain." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/certain>.

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    the domain ruled by an emperor or empress; the region over which imperial dominion is exercised
    A rogue
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    C substitute
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