CERTAIN

certain, sure

(adjective) exercising or taking care great enough to bring assurance; “be certain to disconnect the iron when you are through”; “be sure to lock the doors”

certain

(adjective) established beyond doubt or question; definitely known; “what is certain is that every effect must have a cause”; “it is certain that they were on the bus”; “his fate is certain”; “the date for the invasion is certain”

certain, sure

(adjective) certain to occur; destined or inevitable; “he was certain to fail”; “his fate is certain”; “In this life nothing is certain but death and taxes”- Benjamin Franklin; “he faced certain death”; “sudden but sure regret”; “he is sure to win”

certain

(adjective) definite but not specified or identified; “set aside a certain sum each week”; “to a certain degree”; “certain breeds do not make good pets”; “certain members have not paid their dues”; “a certain popular teacher”; “a certain Mrs. Jones”

certain, sure

(adjective) reliable in operation or effect; “a quick and certain remedy”; “a sure way to distinguish the two”; “wood dust is a sure sign of termites”

sealed, certain

(adjective) established irrevocably; “his fate is sealed”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Proper noun

Certain (plural Certains)

A surname.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Certain is the 26086th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 939 individuals. Certain is most common among White (74.55%) and Black/African American (15.44%) individuals.

Anagrams

• Cretian, ant rice, cantier, ceratin, creatin, crinate, nacrite, tacrine, tercian

Etymology

Adjective

certain (comparative more certain, superlative most certain)

Sure, positive, not doubting.

(obsolete) Determined; resolved.

Not to be doubted or denied; established as a fact.

Actually existing; sure to happen; inevitable.

Unfailing; infallible.

Fixed or stated; regular; determinate.

Known but not specifically named; indeterminate; indefinite; one or some; sometimes used independently as a noun, and meaning certain persons; see also "one".

Synonyms

• (not doubting): See also certain

• (sure to happen): unavoidable; See also inevitable

Antonyms

• (not doubting): uncertain

• (sure to happen): impossible, incidental

• (known but not named): particular specific

Determiner

certain

Having been determined but not specified. The quality of some particular subject or object which is known by the speaker to have been specifically singled out among similar entities of its class.

Pronoun

certain

(with of) Unnamed or undescribed members (of).

Synonyms

• (unnamed or undescribed members (of)): some

Noun

certain pl (plural only)

(with "the") Something certain.

Anagrams

• Cretian, ant rice, cantier, ceratin, creatin, crinate, nacrite, tacrine, tercian

Source: Wiktionary


Cer"tain, a. Etym: [F. certain, fr. (assumed) LL. certanus, fr. L. certus determined, fixed, certain, orig. p. p. of cernere to perceive, decide, determine; akin to Gr. concern, critic, crime, riddle a sieve, rinse, v.]

1. Assured in mind; having no doubts; free from suspicions concerning. To make her certain of the sad event. Dryden. I myself am certain of you. Wyclif.

2. Determined; resolved; -- used with an infinitive. However, I with thee have fixed my lot, Certain to undergo like doom. Milton.

3. Not to be doubted or denied; established as a fact. The dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure. Dan. ii. 45.

4. Actually existing; sure to happen; inevitable. Virtue that directs our ways Through certain dangers to uncertain praise. Dryden. Death, as the Psalmist saith, is certain to all. Shak.

5. Unfailing; infallible. I have often wished that I knew as certain a remedy for any other distemper. Mead.

6. Fixed or stated; regular; determinate. The people go out and gather a certain rate every day. Ex. xvi. 4.

7. Not specifically named; indeterminate; indefinite; one or some; -- sometimes used independenty as a noun, and meaning certain persons. It came to pass when he was in a certain city. Luke. v. 12. About everything he wrote there was a certain natural grace und decorum. Macaulay. For certain, assuredly.

– Of a certain, certainly.

Syn.

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

Cer"tain, n.

1. Certainty. [Obs.] Gower.

2. A certain number or quantity. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Cer"tain, adv.

Definition: Certainly. [Obs.] Milton.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

29 March 2024

FAULTFINDING

(adjective) tending to make moral judgments or judgments based on personal opinions; “a counselor tries not to be faultfinding”


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Coffee Trivia

The Boston Tea Party helped popularize coffee in America. The hefty tea tax imposed on the colonies in 1773 resulted in America switching from tea to coffee. In the lead up to the Revolutionary War, it became patriotic to sip java instead of tea. The Civil War made the drink more pervasive. Coffee helped energize tired troops, and drinking it became an expression of freedom.

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