1
as in one
known but not named a certain person told me that today is your birthday

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3
4
5
as in reliable
not likely to fail chicken soup is grandma's certain cure for pretty much whatever ails you

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

6

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective certain contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of certain are cocksure, positive, and sure. While all these words mean "having no doubt or uncertainty," 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

When would cocksure be a good substitute for certain?

In some situations, the words cocksure and certain are roughly equivalent. However, cocksure implies presumptuous or careless positiveness.

you're always so cocksure about everything

When is it sensible to use positive instead of certain?

While the synonyms positive and certain are close in meaning, positive intensifies sureness or certainty and may imply opinionated conviction or forceful expression of it.

I'm positive that's the person I saw

When could sure be used to replace certain?

The words sure and certain are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, sure usually stresses the subjective or intuitive feeling of assurance.

felt sure that I had forgotten something

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of certain Companion planting vegetables with certain other plants can deter garden pests and make veggies more productive without fertilizers or pesticides. Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 June 2025 And while not everything at Costco is a deal, certain foods consistently offer better value than their grocery store counterparts. Toria Sheffield, People.com, 7 June 2025 The court also ordered the Trump administration to remove the tariffs within 10 days, including a 25% tariff on certain goods from Canada and Mexico. Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 29 May 2025 Seven days after the murders, Johnson & Johnson received an extortion letter threatening that more people would be poisoned if certain demands were not met. Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for certain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for certain
Adjective
  • Drinkwater didn't make one appearance in a Chelsea shirt last season, whilst Bakayoko spent the season in Italy on loan at AC Milan.
    SI.com, SI.com, 3 Aug. 2019
  • Decisions made by engineers today, in other words, will determine not how one car drives but how all cars drive.
    Johannes Himmelreich, BostonGlobe.com, 30 Mar. 2018
Adjective
  • When the four magicians gathered for the first time, none of them were entirely sure who or what brought them together.
    Caroline Blair, People.com, 5 June 2025
  • Scientists aren't quite sure These magnetic fields are incredibly weak — on the order of a billion times weaker than Earth's magnetic field.
    Paul Sutter, Space.com, 5 June 2025
Adjective
  • Now, investors looking for stable returns may want to consider diversified investment alternatives such as the Trefis High Quality portfolio, which has showcased impressive performance, yielding over 91% returns since its inception.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
  • This release is aimed at fixing some problems that cropped up in an earlier Gemini Pro update, and the word is, this version will become a stable release that comes to the Gemini app for everyone to use.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 5 June 2025
Adjective
  • But policy continuity is key to attracting the foreign investment necessary to realize these goals.
    Charlie Campbell, Time, 13 June 2025
  • This can lead you to eat fewer calories and create a calorie deficit, which is necessary for fat loss.
    Jillian Kubala, Health, 12 June 2025
Adjective
  • Embrace tools that highlight alternate components that match form, fit and function, and offer reliable alternatives based on factors like cost, inventory, country of origin and lifecycle status.
    Steve Flagg, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
  • Its toll is seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts, though Israel has challenged its numbers.
    Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2025
Adjective
  • The Fillers have gone before town officials this past spring to present a concept plan to the Cedar Lake Planning Commission, which included restoring the chapel to be in use, but no definite decisions have been made.
    Anna Ortiz, Chicago Tribune, 31 May 2025
  • More Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images While there are definite reasons for Indiana fans to be nervous, Haliburton is motivated to make sure the Pacers do not drop Game 6 at home.
    Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 May 2025
Adjective
  • But negative feelings are running high across all sectors; the most confident sector in April was construction, and that was down nearly 4 points from January.
    Megan Poinski, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
  • Sounding relaxed and confident, Arnault kicked off a 30-minute conversation with high praise for Chiuri, whose engaging narratives, graceful designs and merchandising prowess quadrupled the size of Dior, according to HSBC estimates.
    Miles Socha, Footwear News, 2 June 2025
Adjective
  • In the final episode of The Survivors, Sean tries to kill Kieran inside the caves after telling his friends all of his secrets.
    Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
  • The game will allow up to four players to battle through a fictional version of Shaolin, squaring off against The Deceiver, a menacing antagonist who serves as the game’s final boss.
    Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 9 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Certain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/certain. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.

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