certain
Syllables: cer·tainUK/ˈsɜː.tən//ˈsɝ.tən/
certain adjective: sure in one's mind, positive; absolutely confident in the truth of something.
Adjective
certain (comparative more certain or certainer, superlative most certain or certainest)
- Sure in one's mind, positive; absolutely confident in the truth of something.
- I was certain of my decision.
- […] I think, nay, I may say that I'm sartain, we'll have a hurricane afore morning. It's not the first time I've cruised in these latitudes.1833, [Frederick Marryat], chapter VIII, in Peter Simple. […], volume III, London: Saunders and Otley, […], published 1834, →OCLC, page 113
- Not to be doubted or denied; established as a fact.
- Now that more experiments have been run, the theory is certain and the argument is settled.
- […]the dreame is certaine, and the interpretation thereof ſure.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Daniel 2:45, column 1
- Sure to happen, inevitable; assured.
- 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.
- Bankruptcy is the certain outcome of your constant gambling and lending.
- Synonyms:
- unavoidable
- Unfailing; infallible.
- I have often wished, that I knew so certain a remedy in any other disease1702, Richard Mead, Mechanical Account of Poisons
- Fixed; regular; determinate.
- at certain intervals
- Then ſaid the Lord vnto Moſes, Behold, I will raine bread from heauen for you: and the people ſhall goe out, and gather a certaine rate euery day, that I may proue them, whether they will walke in my Law, or no.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 16:4, column 1
- Particular and definite, but unspecified or unnamed; used to introduce someone or something without going into further detail.
- Every wine has a certain distinctive character which sets it apart from all others.
- Each morning, she would see a certain man rush past her window on his way to work.
- 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.
- I would have been here on time, but a certain someone lost the car keys!
- Named but not previously mentioned.
- Looking inside the cover, they learned that the book had once belonged to a certain R. Jones.
- About 140 years ago, for example, a certain Hsü Kuang-ming established an ancestral estate in Wanluan consisting of ten hectares. The trust was specifically set aside to provide for his own worship after death, and access to its profits was to be enjoyed only by his descendants.1972, Burton Pasternak, “Kinship”, in Kinship & Community in Two Chinese Villages, Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, pages 75–76
- Synonyms:
- one
- Used before the name of someone famous that people are expected to know.
- Since the last British government to make such a proposal was that of a certain Margaret Thatcher, it might not seem unreasonable.
- Synonyms:
- one
- Determined; resolved.
- However I with thee have fixt my Lot,
Certain to undergoe like doom[…]1667, John Milton, “Book VIII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC...
- However I with thee have fixt my Lot,
Determiner
certain
- Having been determined but not specified.
- Certain people are good at running.
- One saint's day in mid-term a certain newly-appointed suffragan-bishop came to the school chapel, and there preached on “The Inner Life.”1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter V, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC, page 26
Pronoun
certain
- Unnamed or undescribed members (of).
- She mentioned a series of contracts, of which certain are not cited.
- […]certaine of the Jewes banded together[…]1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Acts 23:12, column 2
- Synonyms:
- some
Proper noun capitalized: Certain
Certain (plural Certains)
- A surname.
certain meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu
certain in Hindi
- sure, positive, not doubting
- निश्चित niścit
- having been determined but not specified
- निश्चित niścit
certain in Tamil
- நிச்சயமாக
certain in Marathi
- certain, secure
- धडवत dhaḍvat
- certain, particular
- अमुक amuk
certain in Urdu
- certain, sure, definite
- پکا pakkā
- certain, definite, sure
- نشچت niścit
- certain
- یقین yaqīn, کوئی koī
More languagesFewer languages
- certain in Bengali
- নিশ্চিত niścito
- certain in Malayalam
- സുനിശ്ചിതം suniścitaṁ
- certain in Kannada
- ಕಡುದಿಟ, ಖಂಡಿತವಾದ, ನಿಜವಾದ, ಖಚಿತವಾದ
- certain in Punjabi
- ਕੋਈ koī
- certain in Gujarati
- નિર્ધાર nirdhār
- certain in Odia
- ନିର୍ଦ୍ଦିଷ୍ଟ nirddiṣṭa
- certain in Sanskrit
- अदस् adás, सप्रत्यय sapratyaya, ध्रुव dhruvá
- certain in Assamese
- নিঠ nith, কেও keü
- certain in Nepali
- पक्का pakkā
- certain in Arabic
- أَكِيد ʔakīd, مُتَأَكِّد mutaʔakkid, بَعْض baʕḍ, مُحَدَّد muḥaddad
- certain in Thai
- แน่นอน nɛ̂ɛ-nɔɔn
- certain in Vietnamese
- chắc chắn
Examples of certain in a sentence
- […]death (as the Pſalmiſt ſaith) is certaine to all, all ſhall die.c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Second Part of Henrie the Fourth, […], quarto edition, London: […] V[alentine]...
- And it came to paſſe, when he was in a certaine citie[…]1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Luke 5:12, column 1:
- About everything that he wrote, serious or sportive, there was a certain natural grace and decorum[…]1856 February, [Thomas Babington] Macaulay, “[Contributions to the Encyclopædia Britannica.] Oliver Goldsmith.”, in T[homas] F[lower]...
Synonyms of certain
6 more synonymsFewer synonyms
Antonyms
- uncertain
- impossible
- incidental
- particular specific
Forms of certain
| Adjective | |
|---|---|
| comparative | more certain |
| comparative | certainer |
| superlative | most certain |
| superlative | certainest |
| alternative form (obsolete) | certaine |
| alternative form (archaic) | certayne |
| alternative form (archaic) | certeine |
| Proper noun | |
| plural | Certains |
Origin of certain
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”).
Words formed from certain
Phrases with certain
Words that rhyme with certain
Questions about certain
- What does certain mean?
- Certain means sure in one's mind, positive; absolutely confident in the truth of something.
- What is certain in Hindi?
- Certain in Hindi is निश्चित (niścit). See Certain meaning in Hindi.
- How do you use certain in a sentence?
- […]death (as the Pſalmiſt ſaith) is certaine to all, all ſhall die.
- What part of speech is certain?
- Certain can be an adjective, a determiner, a pronoun or a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce certain?
- Certain is pronounced /ˈsɜː.tən/ (UK).
Words near certain in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: certain (page history and authors); Certain (page history and authors); certain (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); अमुक (Marathi) (page history and authors); نشچت (Urdu) (page history and authors); নিশ্চিত (Bengali) (page history and authors); സുനിശ്ചിതം (Malayalam) (page history and authors); certain (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors); ਕੋਈ (Punjabi) (page history and authors); નિર્ધાર (Gujarati) (page history and authors); अदस् (Sanskrit) (page history and authors); কেও (Assamese) (page history and authors); पक्का (Nepali) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-ca-certain.ogg, en-us-certain.ogg.
Cite this entry: “certain.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/certain. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.