certain

certain
I
(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)
adj. some; specified. See quantity, speciality, certainty.
II
(Roget's IV) modif.
1. [Confident]
Syn. assured, sure, positive, questionless, satisfied, self-confident, undoubting, unwavering, believing, secure, untroubled, unconcerned, undisturbed, unperturbed, convinced, assertive, cocksure; see also calm 1 , confident 2 .
2. [Sure]
Syn. destined, determined, predestined; see inevitable .
3. [Beyond doubt]
Syn. indisputable, unquestionable, assured, positive, real, true, genuine, plain, clear, undoubted, indubitable, guaranteed, unmistakable, unassailable, sure, incontrovertible, undeniable, definite, supreme, unqualified, infallible, undisputed, unerring, sound, reliable, trustworthy, evident, conclusive, decisive, unambiguous, authoritative, irrefutable, unconditional, incontestable, unquestioned, absolute, unequivocal, inescapable, in the bag*, on ice*; see also accurate 1 .
Ant. doubtful, uncertain, dubious.
4. [Dependable]
Syn. trustworthy, safe, sound; see reliable 2 .
5. [Fixed]
Syn. settled, concluded, set, agreed upon; see definite 1 , determined 1 .
6. [Specific but not named]
Syn. special, marked, specified, defined, one, some, a few, a couple, several, appreciable, upwards of, regular, particular, singular, especial, precise, specific, express; see also definite 1 , individual 1 , special 1 .
be certain,
Syn. be sure, have confidence, feel sure, be confident, have no doubt, make certain; see also know 1 .
for certain,
Syn. without doubt, absolutely, certainly; see surely .
Syn.- certain usually suggests conviction based on specific grounds or evidence [ this letter makes me certain of his innocence ] ; sure suggests merely an absence of doubt or hesitancy [ I'm sure you don't mean it ] ; confident stresses the firmness of one's certainty or sureness, esp. in some expectation [ she's confident she'll win ] ; positive suggests unshakable confidence, esp. in the correctness of one's opinions or conclusions, sometimes to the point of dogmatism [ he's too positive in his beliefs ]
III
(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) a.
1. sure positive, cocksure, convinced, undoubting, assured, satisfied.
2. unquestionable doubtless, *beyond a shadow of a doubt, indubitable, definite, indisputable, incontestable, unequivocal, incontrovertible, firm, unambiguous.
ANT.: 1. uncertain, unsure, doubting. 2. questionable, doubtful, *up in the air
IV
(Roget's Thesaurus II) adjective 1. In a definite and final form; not likely to change: firm1, fixed, flat, set1. See CHANGE. 2. Bound to happen: inescapable, inevitable, sure, unavoidable. See CERTAIN. 3. Established beyond a doubt: hard, inarguable, incontestable, incontrovertible, indisputable, indubitable, irrefutable, positive, sure, unassailable, undeniable, undisputable, unquestionable. See CERTAIN, TRUE. 4. Known positively: definite, positive, sure. Idiom: for certain. See CERTAIN. 5. Such as could not possibly fail or disappoint: infallible, secure, sure, unerring, unfailing. Informal: sure-fire. See CERTAIN. 6. Having no doubt: assured, confident, positive, sure, undoubting. See CERTAIN.

English dictionary for students. 2013.

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  • certain — certain, aine [ sɛrtɛ̃, ɛn ] adj. et pron. • certan 1160; lat. pop. °certanus, de certus « assuré » I ♦ Adj. A ♦ Après le nom 1 ♦ (Possibilité) (Sujet chose) Qui est effectif sans laisser aucun doute, perçu directement ou établi par des preuves,… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • certain — certain, aine (sèr tin, tè n ) adj. 1°   Qui ne peut manquer, faillir, tromper, en parlant des choses. Ce qui est certain Il est certain que.... Je n oserais donner pour certain que.... Tenir pour certain. Un espoir certain de salut. Je le sais… …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

  • certain — CERTAIN, AINE. adject. Indubitable, vrai. En ce sens il ne se dit que Des choses. Cela est certain. La nouvelle est certaine. Il est certain. On tient pour certain. Faire un rapport certain. J ai eu un avis certain que. ... f♛/b] En parlant Des… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie Française 1798

  • Certain — Cer tain, 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.] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • certain — et asseuré, Certus, Indubitatus. Certain de partir, Iam certus eundi. En certain temps, Rato tempore. Il est certain, Liquet, Certum, Non arbitrarium. Il n est rien si certain, Certo certius, B. ex Vlp. Pour certain, Nae, Nimirum, Plane, Verum… …   Thresor de la langue françoyse

  • certain — CERTAIN, [cert]aine. adj. Asseuré, vray. Faire un rapport certain & assuré de quelque chose. des nouvelles certaines. On dit aussi, Estre certain de quelque chose, pour dire, En estre bien asseuré. Estes vous bien certain de cela? j en suis fort… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • certain — [sʉrt′ n] adj. [ME & OFr < VL * certanus < L certus, determined, fixed, orig. pp. of cernere, to distinguish, decide, orig., to sift, separate: see HARVEST] 1. fixed, settled, or determined 2. sure (to happen, etc.); inevitable 3. not to be …   English World dictionary

  • CERTAIN — CERTAIN, CERTITUDE.     Je suis certain; j ai des amis; ma fortune est sûre; mes parents ne m abandonneront jamais; on me rendra justice; mon ouvrage est bon, il sera bien reçu; on me doit, on me paiera; mon amant sera fidèle, il l a juré; le… …   Dictionnaire philosophique de Voltaire

  • certain — I (fixed) adjective absolute, assured, attested, certified, changeless, conclusive, confident, confirmed, decided, decisive, definite, determinate, determined, firm, guaranteed, incontestable, incontrovertible, indisputable, indubitable,… …   Law dictionary

  • certain — cer‧tain [ˈsɜːtn ǁ ˈsɜːrtn] adjective a sum certain LAW an amount of money that cannot be changed or have anything added to it: • a written order requiring the importer to pay a sum certain in the exporter s domestic currency * * * certain UK US… …   Financial and business terms

  • certain — adj 1 positive, *sure, cocksure Analogous words: *confident, assured, sanguine Antonyms: uncertain Contrasted words: *doubtful, dubious, questionable 2 Certain, inevitable, necessary are comparable when they mean bound to follow in obedience to… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

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