certain
adjEtymology
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”).
Definitions
Sure in one's mind, positive
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.
Not to be doubted or denied
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.
Sure to happen, inevitable
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.
- […]death (as the Pſalmiſt ſaith) is certaine to all, all ſhall die.
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Unfailing
Unfailing; infallible.
- I have often wished, that I knew so certain a remedy in any other disease
Fixed
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.
Particular and definite, but unspecified or unnamed
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.
- And it came to paſſe, when he was in a certaine citie[…]
Used to denote that the speaker is referring to a specific person or thing that they do…
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.
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.
Determined
Determined; resolved.
- However I with thee have fixt my Lot, Certain to undergoe like doom[…]
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.”
Unnamed or undescribed members (of).
- She mentioned a series of contracts, of which certain are not cited.
- […]certaine of the Jewes banded together[…]
A surname.
The neighborhood
- synonymassured
- synonymcertain
- synonymclear
- synonymconfident
- synonymdefinite
- synonymdoubtless
- synonympositive
- synonymsicker
- synonymsure
- synonymunambiguous
- synonymunequivocal
- synonymunivocal
- antonymuncertainantonym(s) of “not doubting”
- antonymimpossibleantonym(s) of “sure to happen”
- antonymincidentalantonym(s) of “sure to happen”
- antonymparticular specificantonym(s) of “known but not named”
- neighborintentional
- neighborirrefutable
- neighborfated
Vish — recursive loop
No curated loop yet for certain. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.
sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA