certain

1 of 2

adjective

cer·​tain ˈsər-tᵊn 

1

: fixed, settled

a certain percentage of the profit

2

: of a specific but unspecified character, quantity, or degree

the house has a certain charm

3

a

: dependable, reliable

a certain remedy for the disease

b

: known or proved to be true : indisputable

it is certain that we exist

4

a

: inevitable

the certain advance of age

b

: incapable of failing : destined

—used with a following infinitive

she is certain to do well

5

: assured in mind or action

I am certain they are right

certain

2 of 2

pronoun

plural in construction

: certain ones

certain of my generation

—W. B. Yeats

Phrases

for certain

: as a certainty : assuredly

the cause is not known for certain

of a certain age

: of a somewhat advanced age : no longer young

remembered by people of a certain age

Synonyms

Adjective

• anonymous
• given
• one
• some
• unidentified
• unnamed
• unspecified

Choose the Right Synonym for certain

sure, certain, positive, cocksure mean having no doubt or uncertainty.

sure usually stresses the subjective or intuitive feeling of assurance.

felt sure that I had forgotten something

certain may apply to a basing of a conclusion or conviction on definite grounds or indubitable evidence.

police are certain about the cause of the fire

positive intensifies sureness or certainty and may imply opinionated conviction or forceful expression of it.

I'm positive that's the person I saw

cocksure implies presumptuous or careless positiveness.

you're always so cocksure about everything

Examples of certain in a Sentence

Adjective

I'm fairly certain that I'll be on time.

a certain person told me that today is your birthday

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

When Campbell wasn’t getting offers to walk in certain shows, Evangelista put her foot down. —Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2023

What is certain, however, is that Azerbaijan cannot be trusted with their security. —Alex Galitsky, Time, 20 Sep. 2023

Anything the House passes is almost certain to fail in the Senate, meaning negotiations between the two chambers and the White House will be necessary. —Grace Segers, The New Republic, 20 Sep. 2023

But from the outset, his family and friends in the local Sikh community were all but certain who was behind the brazen attack: The Indian government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. —Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, 20 Sep. 2023

There are data wonks like the Entertainment Strategy Guy and the Czech company FlixPatrol that factor in such rankings to determine whether certain shows registered with audiences. —Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2023

Whatever Republicans come up with in the House is nearly certain to be rejected by the Senate, where Democrats and most Republicans together want to fund the government. —CBS News, 19 Sep. 2023

As the welcoming committee prepares for the new arrivals, only one thing is certain –this Christmas, Evergreen Lane is going to sleigh! —Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2023

But that was nothing compared to the latest 90 Day Fiancé pregnancy, which is certain to cause a range of reactions from viewers. —Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 19 Sep. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English certeyn, certayne, borrowed from Anglo-French certein, certain, going back to Vulgar Latin *certānus, from Latin certus "fixed, settled, indisputable," originally past participle of cernere "to sift, discern, decide, determine" (going back to an Indo-European present stem *kri-n-, verbal adjective *kri-to-, from a verbal base *krei̯̯̯(h₁)- "sift, separate," whence Greek krī́nein "to separate, choose, decide," verbal adjective kritós, Welsh gogrynu "to sift") + -ānus + -an entry 2

Pronoun

Middle English certyn, derivative of certeyn certain entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Pronoun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing certain

• of a certain age
• to a certain extent
• for certain
• make certain of
• a certain
• all but certain to
• make certain
• under certain circumstances

• of a certain age
• to a certain extent
• for certain
• make certain of
• a certain
• all but certain to
• make certain
• under certain circumstances

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Kids Definition

certain

1 of 2 adjective

cer·​tain ˈsərt-ᵊn 

1

: fixed sense 1b

receive a certain share of the profits

2

: not to be doubted : known to be true

it is certain that diamonds are hard

3

: known but not named

a certain person told me

4

: reliable, sure

a certain cure

5

a

: sure to happen : bound to occur : inevitable

defeat was certain

b

: decided in advance by or as if by fate

the plan was certain to succeed

6

: assured in mind or action

feel certain they will come

certain

2 of 2 pronoun

: certain ones

certain of my classmates are absent