certain
Usage
What are other ways to say certain?
Certain, one of a handful of adjectives indicating full belief and trust that something is true, suggests that there are definite reasons that have freed one from doubt. Confident emphasizes the strength of the belief or the certainty of expectation felt. Positive implies emphatic certainty, which may even become overconfidence or dogmatism. Sure, the simplest and most general term, expresses mere absence of doubt.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Staff believed it was personally safer to take no action unless they were certain the action was exactly right,” she said, according to a published text of her remarks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
To secretly persuade his young students to put on a musical about the horrors of 9/11 and its aftermath that’s certain to cause controversy and get the principal in trouble.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
"I know the club, I know the role, I know what's expected here in terms of playing to a certain standard and achieving certain things on the pitch," he added.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
However, “demand for GPU time is surging to record levels,” McPeake said in a Thursday note to clients, referring to the process by which neocloud customers rent computing power for certain amounts of time.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
Believers hissed, certain that the former celebrity medium was being paid to betray the spirits.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Vocabulary lists containing certain
The Real Deal: Synonyms for "True"
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List 1
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A Sure Thing: Synonyms for "Definite"
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