I. ˈshu̇(ə)r, ˈshu̇ə sometimes ˈshər or ˈshə̄, esp South, NewEng, & Brit ˈshō(ə)r or ˈshōə or ˈshȯ(ə)r or ˈshȯ(ə), chiefly substand South ˈshō adjective
( often -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English sure, sur, from Middle French sur, from Latin securus safe, secure — more at secure
1. obsolete
a. : free from danger or exposure to risk : secure from liability to injury or destruction
b. : safely secured from doing or certain not to do some specified action
make thee sure enough from adding this lewdness to thine other abominations — Joseph Hall
c. : safely in one's possession or under one's control : unlikely to escape, become lost, do harm, or create disturbance ; especially : dead
cut his throat, so making him sure — Philemon Holland
2.
a. : firmly settled or established : unlikely to be overthrown or displaced or to yield : fast , stable , steadfast , steady , strong
a sure foundation
a sure hold
b. : unfailing in character or condition : enduring , unfaltering
a sure faith
3. : marked by complete dependability or reliability (as in fulfilling expectations, hopes, or trust) : entirely trustworthy or dependable : certain not to fail or disappoint expectation : reliable
a sure messenger
a sure remedy
the surest means to this end
the English had sure supplies of food — George Bancroft
4.
a. : assured in mind : having no doubt or fear : marked by or given to feelings of confident certainty and conviction especially of the rightness of one's judgment or intuition : characterized by an unwavering or unreserved certainty
this same suggestion of sure and calm conviction in some of the judgments — B.N.Cardozo
did not release his bomb until he was sure of a direct hit — F.D.Roosevelt
sure that he would come
always a very sure person
b. : marked by firmness, assurance, and steadiness (as in deportment, bearing, execution, or handling) : characterized by a lack of wavering or hesitation
sure brush strokes
a sure hand
5. : objectively certain : admitting of no doubt, condition, or qualification : marked by unquestionable fact, verity, or substantiation : indubitable , indisputable , positive
the evidence is sure
spoke from sure knowledge
6. obsolete
a. : contracted or promised in marriage : betrothed
b. : bound by loyalty or an oath of allegiance (as to a person or party)
made that party sure unto him — Richard Baker
7.
a. : bound to come about or to happen : certain to eventuate : assured
moving to sure disaster
his success is sure
b. : destined especially by fate : bound
he is sure to win
Synonyms:
certain , positive , cocksure : sure and certain are often interchangeable; in the few situations in which they do differ, sure may be used with judgments or expressions that are subjective or intuitive, certain with those that rest on indubitable evidence
wonderful how she managed that light note when you were sure she couldn't be feeling it — Mary Austin
of this I am quite sure, that there is no inconsistency or natural repugnance between this poetical and religious faith in the same mind — William Hazlitt
trust me one day more … without more certain guarantee, than this poor face you deign to praise so much — John Keats
the only dependable foundation of personal liberty is the personal economic security of private property. The teaching of history is very certain on this point — Walter Lippmann
positive intensifies sureness or certainty; it indicates conviction of one's rightness with no suggestion of doubt; it may but does not necessarily suggest an unduly strong or opinionated conviction forcefully expressed
an assertive positive man … had his own notion of what a young man should be — Sherwood Anderson
so much more positive than most of his customers, and he impressed his own convictions on them so determinedly, that he had his own way — H.E.Scudder
cocksure almost always suggests presumptuous vanity, self-assuredness, or cocky lack of consideration of all details
a people which … had been regarded as brash to the point of arrogance, cocksure to the verge of folly, and so wholly certain of its future and itself that travelers wrote books about the national assurance — Archibald MacLeish
Synonym: see in addition confident .
•
- to be sure
II. adverb
Etymology: Middle English, from sure, sur, adjective
: surely
sure , I'll be there
III. noun
( -s )
: certainty — compare for sure