a certain
idiom
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
There’s a certain fantasy of how people assume leaving Ghana and going to live outside is.
—
Heran Mamo, Billboard, 18 June 2025
And even doing that in a certain time frame is limiting in itself.
—Essence, 18 June 2025
However, at a certain point, OS operators may be gathering more data than is truly helpful, which crosses viewers’ boundaries.
—ArsTechnica, 18 June 2025
But even if newscasts come with a certain level of formality, the anchors that ground the programs are only human.
—Kyler Alvord, People.com, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for a certain
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Heran Mamo, Billboard, 18 June 2025
And even doing that in a certain time frame is limiting in itself.
—Essence, 18 June 2025
However, at a certain point, OS operators may be gathering more data than is truly helpful, which crosses viewers’ boundaries.
—ArsTechnica, 18 June 2025
But even if newscasts come with a certain level of formality, the anchors that ground the programs are only human.
—Kyler Alvord, People.com, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for a certain
Cite this Entry
“A certain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20certain. Accessed 29 Jun. 2025.
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