a certain

phrase

1

—used to refer to a quality that is noticed but that is difficult to explain or describe

She has a certain elegance about her.

The house has a certain charm.

2

formal

—used with the name of a person one does not know

In 1889, a certain Mr. Kelly made a large donation to the church.

Examples of a certain in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

No matter how smoothly electrons flow through mitochondria, a certain amount of ROS is unavoidable in everyday life. — Rowan Jacobsen, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

But in a sports world toxically focused on legacies and championships, there’s a certain level of freedom in just … focusing on the smaller picture. — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 19 Oct. 2026

In 2006, Samsung placed the first order for an EUV machine, but warned that the cost was worth it only if a certain number of chips could be printed per hour. — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026

Like too many commercial productions, Other Desert Cities isn’t particularly interested in what theater can or might do other than shape itself around a certain group of famous people. — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 19 Oct. 2026

Rhymes for a certain

• uncertain
• bertin
• curtain