Certain

• POS: Definite Article, Adverb
• HYPHEN: cer=tain

CIDE DICTIONARY

Certain, a. [F. certain, fr. (assumed) LL. certanus, fr. L. certus determined, fixed, certain, orig. p. p. of cernere to perceive, decide, determine; akin to Gr. to decide, separate, and to E. concern, critic, crime, riddle a sieve, rinse, v.].

•  Assured in mind; having no doubts; free from suspicions concerning.  [1913 Webster]

  "To make her certain of the sad event."  [1913 Webster]

  "I myself am certain of you."  [1913 Webster]
•  Determined; resolved; -- used with an infinitive.  [1913 Webster]

  "However, I with thee have fixed my lot,
  Certain to undergo like doom."  [1913 Webster]
•  Not to be doubted or denied; established as a fact.  [1913 Webster]

  "The dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure."  [1913 Webster]
•  Actually existing; sure to happen; inevitable.  [1913 Webster]

  "Virtue that directs our ways
  Through certain dangers to uncertain praise."  [1913 Webster]

  "Death, as the Psalmist saith, is certain to all."  [1913 Webster]
•  Unfailing; infallible.  [1913 Webster]

  "I have often wished that I knew as certain a remedy for any other distemper."  [1913 Webster]
•  Fixed or stated; regular; determinate.  [1913 Webster]

  "The people go out and gather a certain rate every day."  [1913 Webster]
•  Not specifically named; indeterminate; indefinite; one or some; -- sometimes used independenty as a noun, and meaning certain persons.  [1913 Webster]

  "It came to pass when he was in a certain city."  [1913 Webster]

  "About everything he wrote there was a certain natural grace und decorum."  [1913 Webster]

For certain, assuredly. -- Of a certain, certainly.

Syn. -- Bound; sure; true; undeniable; unquestionable; undoubted; plain; indubitable; indisputable; incontrovertible; unhesitating; undoubting; fixed; stated.

Certain, n. 

•  Certainty.  Gower.  [1913 Webster]
•  A certain number or quantity.  Chaucer.  [1913 Webster]

Certain, adv. 

 Certainly.  Milton.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Certain, adj. & pron.
--adj.
1 a (often foll. by of, or that + clause) confident, convinced (certain that I put it here). b (often foll. by that + clause) indisputable; known for sure (it is certain that he is guilty).
2 (often foll. by to + infin.) a that may be relied on to happen (it is certain to rain). b destined (certain to become a star).
3 definite, unfailing, reliable (a certain indication of the coming storm; his touch is certain).
4 (of a person, place, etc.) that might be specified, but is not (a certain lady; of a certain age).
5 some though not much (a certain reluctance).
6 (of a person, place, etc.) existing, though probably unknown to the reader or hearer (a certain John Smith).
--pron. (as pl.) some but not all (certain of them were wounded).

Idiom

for certain without doubt. make certain = make sure (see SURE).

Etymology

ME f. OF ult. f. L certus settled

THESAURUS

Certain

a, a certain, absolute, accurate, actual, adducible, admissible, agape, agog, all agog, an, anticipant, anticipating, anticipative, anticipatory, any, any one, apodictic, ascertained, assured, atomic, attestative, attested, attestive, authentic, authenticated, awaiting, based on, believing, bound, categorically true, certified, changeless, circumstantial, clear, clear and distinct, clear as day, cocksure, composite, conclusive, concrete, confident, confirmable, confirmed, constant, convinced, convincing, corroborated, covered, credible, cumulative, damning, decided, decisive, defined, definite, demonstrable, demonstrated, dependable, destined, detailed, determinate, determinative, determined, devout, different, distinct, distinguished, divers, documentary, documented, dogmatic, doubtless, eager, effectual, either, ensured, esoteric, especial, established, evidential, evidentiary, ex parte, exceptional, exclusive, expectant, expecting, express, extraordinary, eye-witness, factual, faithful, fated, fateful, fideistic, final, firm, firsthand, fixed, forearmed, forestalling, forewarned, founded on, gaping, grounded on, guaranteed, hearsay, historical, hopeful, implicit, impressed with, in anticipation, in expectation, in the cards, incontestable, incontrovertible, indefeasible, indicative, indisputable, individual, indivisible, indubitable, ineluctable, ineludible, inescapable, inevasible, inevitable, inexorable, infallible, inflexible, inner, insured, integral, intimate, invariable, irreducible, irrefutable, irresistible, irrevocable, lone, looking for, looking forward to, many, material, measured, minute, monadic, monistic, more, more than one, necessary, not in error, not singular, not surprised, noteworthy, numerous, nuncupative, objectively true, one, optimistic, overwhelming, particular, perfectly sure, permanent, personal, persuaded, pietistic, pious, pistic, plausible, plural, pluralistic, plurative, positive, precise, predestined, predetermined, prepared, presumptive, private, probative, provable, proved, quantified, quantitative, quantitive, quantized, ready, real, relentless, reliable, resistless, respective, sanguine, satisfied, secure, secured, set, settled, several, significant, simple, single, singular, sold on, sole, solid, solipsistic, solitary, some, special, specific, stable, standard, stated, steady, stipulated, substantiated, suggestive, sundry, sure, sure as death, sure as fate, sure-enough, surefire, symptomatic, telling, traditional, true, true as gospel, trustworthy, truthful, unalterable, unambiguous, unanalyzable, unavoidable, unchanging, unconfuted, uncontestable, uncontrollable, undeflectable, undeniable, undenied, under the impression, undisputed, undivided, undoubted, undoubtful, undoubting, unequivocal, unerring, unerroneous, unevadable, unfailing, unfallacious, unfalse, uniform, unique, unitary, univocal, unmistakable, unmistaken, unnamed, unpreventable, unquestionable, unquestioned, unrefuted, unspecified, unstoppable, unsurprised, unyielding, valid, validated, various, veracious, verifiable, verified, veritable, waiting, waiting for, warranted, watching for, weighty, well-grounded, whole, written

ROGET THESAURUS

Certain

Speciality

N speciality, specialite, individuality, individuity, particularity, peculiarity, idiocrasy, personality, characteristic, mannerism, idiosyncrasy, specificness, singularity, reading, version, lection, state, trait, distinctive feature, technicality, differentia, particulars, details, items, counts, minutiae, I, self, I myself, myself, himself, herself, itself, special, particular, individual, specific, proper, personal, original, private, respective, definite, determinate, especial, certain, esoteric, endemic, partial, party, peculiar, appropriate, several, characteristic, diagnostic, exclusive, singular, idiomatic, idiotypical, typical, this, that, yon, yonder, specially, especially, particularly, in particular, in propria persona, ad hominem, for my part, each, apiece, one by one, one at a time, severally, respectively, each to each, seriatim, in detail, in great detail, in excruciating detail, in mind-numbing detail, bit by bit, pro hac vice, pro re nata, namely, that is to say, for example, id est, exemplia gratia, e, g, i, e, videlicet, viz, to wit, le style est l'homme meme.

Plurality

N plurality, a number, a certain number, one or two, two or three, a few, several, multitude, majority, multitude, plural, more than one, upwards of, some, several, a few, certain, not alone, et cetera, etc, among other things, inter alia, non deficit alter.

Certainty

N certainty, necessity, certitude, surety, assurance, dead certainty, moral certainty, infallibleness, infallibility, reliability, indubitableness, inevitableness, unquestionableness, gospel, scripture, church, pope, court of final appeal, res judicata, ultimatum positiveness, dogmatism, dogmatist, dogmatizer, doctrinaire, bigot, opinionist, Sir Oracle, ipse dixit, fact, positive fact, matter of fact, fait accompli, certain, sure, assured, solid, well-founded, unqualified, absolute, positive, determinate, definite, clear, unequivocal, categorical, unmistakable, decisive, decided, ascertained, inevitable, unavoidable, avoidless, ineluctable, unerring, infallible, unchangeable, to be depended on, trustworthy, reliable, bound, unimpeachable, undeniable, unquestionable, indisputable, incontestable, incontrovertible, indubitable, irrefutable, conclusive, without power of appeal, indubious, without doubt, beyond a doubt, without a shade or shadow of doubt, without question, beyond question, past dispute, clear as day, beyond all question, beyond all dispute, undoubted, uncontested, unquestioned, undisputed, questionless, doubtless, authoritative, authentic, official, sure as fate, sure as death and taxes, sure as a gun, evident, self-evident, axiomatic, clear, clear as day, clear as the sun at noonday, certainly, for certain, certes, sure, no doubt, doubtless, and no mistake, flagrante delicto, sure enough, to be sure, of course, as a matter of course, a coup sur, to a certainty, in truth, at any rate, at all events, without fail, coute que coute, coute qu'il coute, whatever may happen, if the worst come to the worst, come what may, happen what may, come what will, sink or swim, rain or shine, cela va sans dire, there is no question, no question, not a shadow of doubt, there is not a shadow of doubt, the die is cast, facts are stubborn things.

Belief

N belief, credence, credit, assurance, faith, trust, troth, confidence, presumption, sanguine expectation, dependence on, reliance on, persuasion, conviction, convincement, plerophory, self- conviction, certainty, opinion, mind, view, conception, thinking, impression, surmise, conclusion, tenet, dogma, principle, way of thinking, popular belief, firm belief, implicit belief, settled belief, fixed rooted deep- rooted belief, staunch belief, unshaken belief, steadfast belief, inveterate belief, calm belief, sober belief, dispassionate belief, impartial belief, well-founded belief, firm opinion, implicit opinion, settled opinion, fixed rooted deep-rooted opinion, staunch opinion, unshaken opinion, steadfast opinion, inveterate opinion, calm opinion, sober opinion, dispassionate opinion, impartial opinion, well-founded opinion, uberrima fides, system of opinions, school, doctrine, articles, canons, article of faith, declaration of faith, profession of faith, tenets, credenda, creed, thirty-nine articles, catechism, assent, propaganda, credibility, believing, certain, sure, assured, positive, cocksure, satisfied, confident, unhesitating, convinced, secure, under the impression, impressed with, imbued with, penetrated with, confiding, suspectless, unsuspecting, unsuspicious, void of suspicion, credulous, wedded to, believed, accredited, putative, unsuspected, worthy of, deserving of, commanding belief, credible, reliable, trustworthy, to be depended on, satisfactory, probably, fiducial, fiduciary, persuasive, impressive, relating to belief, doctrinal, in the opinion of, in the eyes of, me judice, meseems, methinks, to the best of one's belief, I dare say, I doubt not, I have no doubt, I am sure, sure enough, depend upon, rely upon it, be assured, rest assured, I'll warrant you, experto crede, fata viam invenient, Justitiae soror incorrupta Fides, live to explain thy doctrine by thy life, stands not within the prospect of belief, tarde quae credita laedunt credimus, vide et crede.

Truth

N truth, fact, reality, plain fact, plain matter of fact, nature, truth, verity, gospel, gospel truth, God's honest truth, orthodoxy, authenticity, veracity, correctness, correctitude, accuracy, exactitude, exactness, preciseness, precision, delicacy, rigor, mathematical precision, punctuality, clockwork precision, conformity to rule, nicety, orthology, ipsissima verba, realism, plain truth, honest truth, sober truth, naked truth, unalloyed truth, unqualified truth, stern truth, exact truth, intrinsic truth, nuda veritas, the very thing, not an illusion, real Simon Pure, unvarnished tale, unvarnished truth, the truth the whole truth and nothing but the trut, just the thing, real, actual, veritable, true, right, correct, certain, substantially true, categorically true, definitively true, true to the letter, true as gospel, unimpeachable, veracious, unreconfuted, unconfuted, unideal, unimagined, realistic, exact, accurate, definite, precise, well-defined, just, just so, so, strict, severe, close, literal, rigid, rigorous, scrupulous, religiously exact, punctual, mathematical, scientific, faithful, constant, unerring, curious, particular, nice, delicate, fine, clean-cut, clear-cut, verified, empirically true, experimentally verified, substantiated, proven (demonstrated), rigorously true, unquestionably true, true by definition, genuine, authentic, legitimate, orthodox, official, ex officio, pure, natural, sound, sterling, unsophisticated, unadulterated, unvarnished, unalloyed, uncolored, in its true colors, pukka, well-grounded, well founded, solid, substantial, tangible, valid, undistorted, undisguised, unaffected, unexaggerated, unromantic, unflattering, truly, verily, indeed, really, in reality, with truth, certainly, actually, in effect, exactly, ad amussim, verbatim, verbatim et literatim, word for word, literally, literatim, totidem vervis, sic, to the letter, chapter and verse, ipsissimis verbis, ad unguem, to an inch, to a nicety, to a hair, to a tittle, to a turn, to a T, au pied de la lettre, neither more nor less, in every respect, in all respects, sous tous les rapports, at any rate, at all events, strictly speaking, the truth is, the fact is, rem acu tetigisti, en suivant la verite, ex facto jus oritur, la verita e figlia del empo, locos y ninos dicen la verdad, crazy people and children tell the truth, nihil est veritatis luce dulcius, veritas nunquam perit, veritatem dies aperit, the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, just the facts, ma'am, just the facts.

Affirmation

N affirmance, affirmation, statement, allegation, assertion, predication, declaration, word, averment, confirmation, asseveration, adjuration, swearing, oath, affidavit, deposition, avouchment, assurance, protest, protestation, profession, acknowledgment, legal pledge, pronouncement, solemn averment, solemn avowal, solemn declaration, remark, observation, position, saying, dictum, sentence, ipse dixit, emphasis, weight, dogmatism, dogmatics, asserting, declaratory, predicatory, pronunciative, affirmative, soi-disant, positive, certain, express, explicit, absolute, emphatic, flat, broad, round, pointed, marked, distinct, decided, confident, trenchant, dogmatic, definitive, formal, solemn, categorical, peremptory, unretracted, predicable, affirmatively, in the affirmative, with emphasis, ex-cathedra, without fear of contradiction, as God is my witness, I must say, indeed, i' faith, let me tell you, why, give me leave to say, marry, you may be sure, I'd have you to know, upon my word, upon my honor, by my troth, egad, I assure you, by jingo, by Jove, by George, troth, seriously, sadly, in sadness, in sober sadness, in truth, in earnest, of a truth, truly, perdy, in all conscience, upon oath, be assured, yes, I'll warrant, I'll warrant you, I'll engage, I'll answer for it, I'll be bound, I'll venture to say, I'll take my oath, in fact, forsooth, joking apart, so help me God, not to mince the matter, quoth he, dixi.