certain
1. definite but not specified or identified (Freq. 131)
- 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
• Similar to:
definite
2. having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty;
confident and assured (Freq. 16)
- felt certain of success
- was sure (or certain) she had seen it
- was very sure in his beliefs
- sure of her friends
• Syn:
sure
• Ant:
unsure (for: sure), uncertain
• Similar to:
convinced, positive, confident
• Derivationally related forms:
sureness (for: sure)
• Attrubites:
certainty, assurance, self-assurance, confidence, self-confidence,
authority, sureness
3. established beyond doubt or question;
definitely known (Freq. 8)
- 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
• Ant:
uncertain
• Similar to:
definite, indisputable, sure, sure as shooting
• Attrubites:
certainty, sure thing, foregone conclusion
4. certain to occur;
destined or inevitable (Freq. 4)
- 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
• Syn:
sure
• Ant:
uncertain
• Similar to:
bound, destined, doomed, fated, foreordained,
predestinate, predestined, in for
• See Also:
predictable
5. established irrevocably
- his fate is sealed
• Syn:
sealed
• Ant:
unsealed (for: sealed)
6. 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
• Syn:
sure
• Similar to:
reliable, dependable
7. 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
• Syn:
sure
• Similar to:
careful
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