/ ˈsɜːtn; NAmE ˈsɜːrtn/ adjective , pronoun
■ adjective
1.
certain (that ... ) | certain (to do sth) | certain (of sth / of doing sth) that you can rely on to happen or to be true :
It is certain that they will agree / They are certain to agree.
She looks certain to win an Oscar.
The climbers face certain death if the rescue today is unsuccessful.
If you want to be certain of getting a ticket, book now.
➡ note at sure
2.
certain (that ... ) | certain (of / about sth) firmly believing sth; having no doubts :
She wasn't certain (that) he had seen her.
Are you absolutely certain about this?
I'm not certain who was there.
To my certain knowledge he was somewhere else at the time (= I am sure about it) .
3.
used to mention a particular thing, person or group without giving any more details about it or them :
For certain personal reasons I shall not be able to attend.
Certain people might disagree with this.
They refused to release their hostages unless certain conditions were met.
4.
( formal ) used with a person's name to show that the speaker does not know the person :
It was a certain Dr Davis who performed the operation.
5.
slight; noticeable, but difficult to describe :
That's true, to a certain extent .
I felt there was a certain coldness in her manner.
•
IDIOMS
- for certain
- make certain (that ... )
- make certain of sth / of doing sth
- of a certain age
■ pronoun
certain of ... ( formal ) used for talking about some members of a group of people or things without giving their names :
Certain of those present were unwilling to discuss the matter further.
••
SYNONYMS
certain
bound ♦ sure ♦ definite ♦ assured
These are all words describing sth that will definitely happen or is definitely true.
certain
that you can rely on to happen or be true:
It's certain that they will agree.
•
They are certain to agree.
bound
[not before noun] certain to happen, or to do or be sth.
NOTE
Bound is only used in the phrase bound to do / be, etc. :
There are bound to be changes when the new system is introduced.
•
You've done so much work—you're bound to pass the exam.
sure
certain to happen or be true; that can be trusted on relied on:
She's sure to be picked for the team.
•
It's sure to rain.
definite
( rather informal ) certain to happen; that is not going to change:
Is it definite that he's leaving?
assured
( formal ) certain to happen:
Victory seemed assured.
•
They were assured of victory.
PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS :
certain / sure / assured of sth
certain / bound / sure to do sth
certain / definite that...
I couldn't say for certain / sure / definite.
to be / seem / look certain / bound to... / sure / definite / assured
by no means certain / bound to... / sure / definite / assured
fairly / quite / absoutely certain / sure / definite
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Old French , based on Latin certus settled, sure.