certain

See also: Certain and cèrtain

English

Alternative forms

• certaine (obsolete)
• certayne (archaic)
• certeine (archaic)

Etymology

From Middle English certeyn, certein, certain, borrowed from Old French certain, from a Vulgar Latin unattested form *certānus, extended form of Latin certus (“fixed, resolved, certain”), of the same origin as cretus, past participle of cernere (“to separate, perceive, decide”). Displaced native Middle English wis, iwis (“certain, sure”) (from Old English ġewiss (“certain, sure”)) and alternative Middle English spelling sertane (“some, certain”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈsɜːtn̩/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈsɝtn̩/, /ˈsɝʔn̩/
• (Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈsɝtən/, /ˈsɝtn̩/, /ˈsɝʔn̩/

• Audio (Canada):

  (file)

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)tən
• Hyphenation: cer‧tain

Adjective

certain (comparative more certain or certainer, superlative most certain or certainest)

1. Sure in one's mind, positive; absolutely confident in the truth of something.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:certain

   I was certain of my decision.

   • 1833, [Frederick Marryat], chapter VIII, in Peter Simple. […], volume III, London: Saunders and Otley, […], published 1834, →OCLC, page 113:

     […] I think, nay, I may say that I'm sartain, we'll have a hurricane afore morning. It's not the first time I've cruised in these latitudes.

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

   Now that more experiments have been run, the theory is certain and the argument is settled.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Daniel 2:45, column 1:

     […] the dreame is certaine, and the interpretation thereof ſure.

3. Sure to happen, inevitable; assured.

   It is certain that Spain will reach the finals. / Spain is now certain to reach the finals. / Spain is now certain of a place in the finals.

   Bankruptcy is the certain outcome of your constant gambling and lending.

   • c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Second Part of Henrie the Fourth, […], quarto edition, London: […] V[alentine] S[immes] for Andrew Wise, and William Aspley, published 1600, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:

     […] death (as the Pſalmiſt ſaith) is certaine to all, all ſhall die.

   • 1675, John Dryden, Aureng-zebe: A Tragedy. […], London: […] T[homas] N[ewcomb] for Henry Herringman, […], published 1676, →OCLC, Act II, page 29:

     How vain is Virtue which directs our ways
     Through certain danger to uncertain praiſe!

4. Unfailing; infallible.
   • 1702, Richard Mead, Mechanical Account of Poisons:

     I have often wished, that I knew so certain a remedy in any other disease

5. Fixed; regular; determinate.

   at certain intervals

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 16:4, column 1:

     Then ſaid the Lord vnto Moſes, Behold, I will raine bread from heauen for you: and the people ſhall goe out, and gather a certaine rate euery day, that I may proue them, whether they will walke in my Law, or no.

6. Particular and definite, but unspecified or unnamed; used to introduce someone or something without going into further detail.

   Every wine has a certain distinctive character which sets it apart from all others.

   Each morning, she would see a certain man rush past her window on his way to work.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Luke 5:12, column 1:

     And it came to paſſe, when he was in a certaine citie […]

   • 1856 February, [Thomas Babington] Macaulay, “[Contributions to the Encyclopædia Britannica.] Oliver Goldsmith.”, in T[homas] F[lower] E[llis], editor, The Miscellaneous Writings and Speeches of Lord Macaulay, new edition, London: Longman, Green, Reader, & Dyer, published 1871, →OCLC, page 365:

     About everything that he wrote, serious or sportive, there was a certain natural grace and decorum […]

7. (euphemistic, preceded by "a") Used to denote that the speaker is referring to a specific person or thing that they do not want to name directly, implying that the listener should infer the identity of the referent.

   I would have been here on time, but a certain someone lost the car keys!

8. (preceded by "a", of a person) Named but not previously mentioned.

   Synonym: one

   Looking inside the cover, they learned that the book had once belonged to a certain R. Jones.

   • 1972, Burton Pasternak, “Kinship”, in Kinship & Community in Two Chinese Villages‎^[1], Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, pages 75–76:

     About 140 years ago, for example, a certain Hsü Kuang-ming established an ancestral estate in Wanluan consisting of ten hectares. The trust was specifically set aside to provide for his own worship after death, and access to its profits was to be enjoyed only by his descendants.

9. (preceded by "a", of a person) Used before the name of someone famous that people are expected to know.

   Synonym: one

   Since the last British government to make such a proposal was that of a certain Margaret Thatcher, it might not seem unreasonable.

10. (obsolete) Determined; resolved.
    • 1667, John Milton, “Book VIII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, lines 952–953:

      However I with thee have fixt my Lot,
      Certain to undergoe like doom […]

Synonyms

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

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “not doubting”): uncertain
• (antonym(s) of “sure to happen”): impossible, incidental
• (antonym(s) of “known but not named”): particular specific

Derived terms

• certain event
• certainly (adv)
• certainness
• certain person
• certainty (n)
• for certain
• make certain
• noncertain
• of a certain
• of a certain age

 

Translations

sure, positive, not doubting

• Arabic: أَكِيد (ʔakīd), (said of a person) مُتَأَكِّد (mutaʔakkid)
• Armenian: հաստատուն (hy) (hastatun)
• Asturian: ciertu
• Azerbaijani: əmin
• Belarusian: упэ́ўнены (upéŭnjeny), пэ́ўны (be) (péŭny)
• Bulgarian: си́гурен (bg) (síguren), уве́рен (bg) (uvéren)
• Catalan: cert (ca)
• Chamicuro: akachelo'ta
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 肯定 (zh) (kěndìng), 確切／确切 (zh) (quèqiè), 一定 (zh) (yīdìng)

• Czech: jistý (cs)
• Danish: sikker (da)
• Dutch: zeker (nl)
• Esperanto: certa
• Finnish: varma (fi)
• French: certain (fr)
• Friulian: ciert, sigûr, positîv
• Georgian: უეჭველი (ueč̣veli), უდავო (udavo)
• German: gewiss (de), sicher (de)
• Greek: βέβαιος (el) (vévaios)

  Ancient: ἔμπεδος (émpedos)

• Hungarian: biztos (hu), bizonyos (hu)
• Icelandic: viss (is), öruggur (is)
• Ido: certa (io)
• Irish: cinnte, dearfa, deimhin
• Istriot: sierto
• Italian: certo (it), sicuro (it)
• Japanese: 確か (ja) (たしか, tashika), 一定 (ja) (いってい, ittei), 定か (ja) (さだか, sadaka), 特定の (ja) (とくていの, tokutei no)
• Khmer: ជាក់លាក់ (cĕəklĕək)
• Korean: 확실하다 (ko) (hwaksilhada)
• Ladin: cert, cërt
• Latin: certus, fidus
• Macedonian: сигурен (siguren), уверен (uveren)
• Maltese: ċert
• Maori: taketake
• Norwegian: sikker (no), viss (no)
• Occitan: cèrt (oc)
• Odia: ନିର୍ଦ୍ଦିଷ୍ଟ (or) (nirddishṭa)
• Old English: gewiss
• Old High German: giwis
• Plautdietsch: wess
• Polish: pewny (pl)
• Portuguese: certo (pt)
• Romanian: cert (ro), anume (ro), sigur (ro)
• Russian: уве́ренный (ru) (uvérennyj), (of a fact) определённый (ru) (opredeljónnyj)
• Sardinian: certu, tzertu, tzeltu
• Scottish Gaelic: cinnteach, deimhinne
• Serbo-Croatian: sȉgūran (sh)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: си̏гӯран, у̀верен

  Roman: sȉgūran (sh), ùveren

• Sicilian: certu
• Slovak: istý
• Slovene: gotov
• Spanish: cierto (es), seguro (es), determinado (es), se sabe que, certeza (es) f (noun), certitud f (noun), certidumbre m
• Swedish: säker (sv)
• Tetum: tebes
• Thai: แน่นอน (th) (nɛ̂ɛ-nɔɔn)
• Turkish: kesin (tr), emin (tr)
• Ukrainian: упе́внений (upévnenyj), пе́вний (uk) (pévnyj)
• Venetan: çerto, serto, certo
• Vietnamese: chắc chắn (vi)
• Yiddish: זיכער (zikher)
• Zazaki: emel, qeta

not specifically named, indeterminate, indefinite

• Arabic: بَعْض (baʕḍ)
• Azerbaijani: müəyyən (az)
• Belarusian: які́сьці (jakísʹci), не́йкі (njéjki), які́сь (jakísʹ)
• Bulgarian: някакъв (njakakǎv), някой си (njakoj si)
• Catalan: cert (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 有的 (zh) (yǒu de), 某 (zh) (mǒu)

• Czech: nějaký (cs)
• Dutch: zekere (nl), bepaalde (nl)
• Finnish: eräs (fi), yksi (fi)
• French: certain (fr), quelconque (fr)
• German: gewiss (de), irgendein (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: τις (tis)

• Hungarian: bizonyos (hu), egyes (hu), némely (hu), egyfajta (hu), egynémely (hu)
• Ido: certena (io)
• Italian: certo (it), tale (it)
• Japanese: ある (ja) (aru)
• Korean: 어느 (ko) (eoneu), 특정(特定) (ko) (teukjeong)
• Latin: quīdam (la)
• Polish: jakiś (pl), niejaki (pl)
• Russian: не́который (ru) (nékotoryj), како́й-то (ru) (kakój-to), не́кий (ru) (nékij)
• Slovak: nejaký
• Spanish: cierto (es)
• Swahili: fulani (sw)
• Turkish: malum (tr), bazı (tr), belli başlı (tr)
• Ukrainian: яки́йсь (uk) (jakýjsʹ), котри́йсь (kotrýjsʹ), де́який (uk) (déjakyj)
• Yiddish: געוויס (gevis)
• Zazaki: delil

in reference to a specific person or thing that the speaker does not want to name directly

• Esperanto: certa
• Japanese: 某 (ja) (bō-)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Ido: ^{(please verify)} certa (io) (1), ^{(please verify)} certena (io) (2)
• Indonesian: ^{(please verify)} tertentu, ^{(please verify)} yakin (id), ^{(please verify)} merasa pasti
• Telugu: ^{(please verify)} నిశ్చయం (te) (niścayaṁ)

Determiner

certain

1. Having been determined but not specified.

   Certain people are good at running.

   • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter V, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC, page 26:

     One saint's day in mid-term a certain newly-appointed suffragan-bishop came to the school chapel, and there preached on “The Inner Life.”

Translations

having been determined but not specified

• Arabic: مُحَدَّد (muḥaddad)
• Belarusian: не́йкі m (njéjki)
• Bulgarian: определен (bg) (opredelen)
• Catalan: cert (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 某 (zh) (mǒu), 有的 (zh) (yǒude)

• Czech: jistý (cs) m, určitý (cs) m
• Dalmatian: ciart
• Danish: vis (da) c, vist n, visse pl
• Esperanto: certa
• Finnish: tietty (fi), muuan (fi), eräät pl
• French: certain (fr)
• Galician: certo (gl)
• Georgian: გარკვეული (garḳveuli)
• German: bestimmt (de), gewiss (de)
• Hungarian: bizonyos (hu), egyes (hu), némely (hu)
• Icelandic: ákveðinn (is) m, viss (is) m
• Italian: determinato (it)
• Japanese: ある (ja) (aru), とある (toaru)
• Latin: quīdam (la)
• Norwegian: viss (no) m or f, visst (no) n, visse (no) pl, enkelte (no)
• Portuguese: certo (pt) m
• Romanian: anumit (ro)
• Russian: не́который (ru) (nékotoryj), определённый (ru) (opredeljónnyj), не́кий (ru) (nékij)
• Serbo-Croatian: òdrēđen (sh), nȅkī
• Spanish: cierto (es) m, cierta (es) f
• Swedish: viss (sv) c, visst (sv) n, vissa (sv) pl
• Turkish: belli (tr), malum (tr), belirli (tr), muayyen (tr)
• Ukrainian: пе́вний (uk) (pévnyj), де́який (uk) (déjakyj)
• Yiddish: געוויס (gevis)
• Zazaki: beyan, delil

Pronoun

certain

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

   Synonym: some

   She mentioned a series of contracts, of which certain are not cited.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Acts 23:12, column 2:

     […] certaine of the Jewes banded together […]

Further reading

• “certain”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “certain”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “certain”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• tacrine, nacrite, tricane, Cretian, ant rice, crinate, anticer, Rectina, ceratin, citrean, Catrine, cantier, creatin, tercian

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French certain, from Vulgar Latin unattested form *certānus, extended form of Latin certus (“fixed, resolved, certain”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɛʁ.tɛ̃/, (in laison) /sɛʁ.tɛ.n‿/

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

certain (feminine certaine, masculine plural certains, feminine plural certaines)

1. certain, guaranteed (sure, positive)

   sûr et certain ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   une victoire certaine ― a sure victory

   Il est certain qu’il viendra.

   It is certain that he will arrive.

2. certain (specified, particular)
3. certain (of indefinite, unknown or simply unmentioned identity, quality or quantity) (prepositive to the noun it modifies, and usually preceded by an indefinite article)

   dans une certaine mesure ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   d’un certain âge ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   un ’’’certain nombre de ― a certain number of

   une certaine femme ― a certain woman

Derived terms

• certainement
• incertain

 

Related terms

• certitude

Determiner

certain m (feminine certaine, masculine plural certains, feminine plural certaines)

1. certain: a determined but unspecified amount of; some

Usage notes

• The plurals certains and certaines are generally not used with articles, functioning much like articles themselves. Nevertheless, particularly in circumstantial and objective complements introduced by à (including such compounds as jusqu’à), they are sometimes supported by the indefinite article de — not to be confused with the preposition de:
  • à de certaines heures du matin
  • par rapport à de certains pays voisins
  • s'avancer jusqu'à de certaines limites
  • s'attendre à de certaines conditions

Anagrams

• carient, centrai, cernait, crainte, criante, écriant, encirât, encrait

Old French

Alternative forms

• chertain (Picardy)

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *certānus, derived from Latin certus.

Adjective

certain m (oblique and nominative feminine singular certaine)

1. certain; sure

Declension

Declension of certain

Number	Case	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Singular	Subject	certains	certaine	certain
	Oblique	certain			certaine	certain
Plural	Subject	certain	certaines		certain
	Oblique	certains			certaines	certain

Synonyms

• seur

Related terms

• cert

Descendants

• French: certain
• → Middle English: certeyn
  • English: certain