certain

cer·tain  (sûrtn)

adj.

1. Definite; fixed: set aside a certain sum each week.

2. Sure to come or happen; inevitable: certain success.

3. Established beyond doubt or question; indisputable: What is certain is that every effect must have a cause.

4. Capable of being relied on; dependable: a quick and certain remedy.

5. Having or showing confidence; assured.

6.

a. Not specified or identified but assumed to be known: felt that certain breeds did not make good pets.

b. Named but not known or previously mentioned: a certain Ms. Johnson.

7. Perceptible; noticeable: a certain charm; a certain air of mystery.

8. Not great; calculable: to a certain degree; a certain delay in the schedule.

pron.

An indefinite but limited number; some: Certain of the products are faulty.

Idiom:

for certain

Without doubt; definitely.

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[Middle English, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *certnus, from Latin certus, past participle of cernere, to determine; see krei- in Indo-European roots.]

Synonyms: certain, inescapable, inevitable, sure, unavoidable
These adjectives mean impossible to avoid or evade: soldiers who knew they faced certain death; facts that led to an inescapable conclusion; an inevitable result; sudden but sure retribution; an unavoidable accident. See Also Synonyms at sure.

Usage Note: Although certain appears to be an absolute term, it is frequently qualified by adverbs, as in fairly certain or quite certain. In an earlier survey a majority of the Usage Panel accepted the construction Nothing could be more certain.

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certain [ˈsɜːt^ən]

adj

1. (postpositive) positive and confident about the truth of something; convinced I am certain that he wrote a book

2. (usually postpositive) definitely known it is certain that they were on the bus

3. (usually postpositive) sure; bound; destined he was certain to fail

4. decided or settled upon; fixed the date is already certain for the invasion

5. unfailing; reliable his judgment is certain

6. moderate or minimum to a certain extent

make certain of to ensure (that one will get something); confirm

adv

for certain definitely; without a doubt he will win for certain

determiner

1.

a.  known but not specified or named certain people may doubt this

b.  (as pronoun; functioning as plural) certain of the members have not paid their subscriptions

2. named but not known he had written to a certain Mrs Smith

[from Old French, from Latin certus sure, fixed, from cernere to discern, decide]

Thesaurus

Adj.	1.	certain - definite but not specified or identified; "set aside a certain sum each week"; "to a certain degree"; "certain breeds do not make good pets"; "certain members have not paid their dues"; "a certain popular teacher"; "a certain Mrs. Jones" definite - precise; explicit and clearly defined; "I want a definite answer"; "a definite statement of the terms of the will"; "a definite amount"; "definite restrictions on the sale of alcohol"; "the wedding date is now definite"; "a definite drop in attendance"
	2.	certain - having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured; "felt certain of success"; "was sure (or certain) she had seen it"; "was very sure in his beliefs"; "sure of her friends" sure incertain, uncertain, unsure - lacking or indicating lack of confidence or assurance; "uncertain of his convictions"; "unsure of himself and his future"; "moving with uncertain (or unsure) steps"; "an uncertain smile"; "touched the ornaments with uncertain fingers"
	3.	certain - established beyond doubt or question; definitely known; "what is certain is that every effect must have a cause"; "it is certain that they were on the bus"; "his fate is certain"; "the date for the invasion is certain" uncertain - not established beyond doubt; still undecided or unknown; "an uncertain future"; "a manuscript of uncertain origin"; "plans are still uncertain"; "changes of great if uncertain consequences"; "without further evidence his story must remain uncertain"
	4.	certain - certain to occur; destined or inevitable; "he was certain to fail"; "his fate is certain"; "In this life nothing is certain but death and taxes"- Benjamin Franklin; "he faced certain death"; "sudden but sure regret"; "he is sure to win" sure predictable - capable of being foretold uncertain - not certain to occur; not inevitable; "everything is uncertain about the army"; "the issue is uncertain"
	5.	certain - established irrevocably; "his fate is sealed" sealed
	6.	certain - reliable in operation or effect; "a quick and certain remedy"; "a sure way to distinguish the two"; "wood dust is a sure sign of termites" sure dependable, reliable - worthy of reliance or trust; "a reliable source of information"; "a dependable worker"
	7.	certain - exercising or taking care great enough to bring assurance; "be certain to disconnect the iron when you are through"; "be sure to lock the doors" sure careful - exercising caution or showing care or attention; "they were careful when crossing the busy street"; "be careful to keep her shoes clean"; "did very careful research"; "careful art restorers"; "careful of the rights of others"; "careful about one's behavior"

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certain

adjective

1. sure, convinced, positive, confident, satisfied, assured, free from doubt She's absolutely certain she's going to make it as a singer.
sure uncertain, doubtful, dubious, unsure, undecided, unconvinced

2. bound, sure, fated, destined They say he's certain to get a nomination for best supporting actor.
bound unlikely

3. inevitable, unavoidable, inescapable, inexorable, ineluctable They intervened to save him from certain death.

4. known, true, positive, plain, ascertained, unmistakable, conclusive, undoubted, unequivocal, undeniable, irrefutable, unquestionable, incontrovertible, indubitable One thing is certain - they have the utmost respect for each other.
known uncertain, doubtful, dubious, unsure, questionable, unreliable, disputable

5. fixed, decided, established, settled, definite He has to pay a certain sum in child support every month.
fixed unsettled, indefinite

6. particular, special, individual, specific A certain person has been looking for you.

Translations

certain [ˈsɜːtən]

A. ADJ

1. (= convinced) to be certain [person] → estar seguro
I'm certain he's hiding something → estoy seguro de que está ocultando algo
to be certain about sth → estar seguro de algo
to feel certain → estar seguro
to be certain of sth → estar seguro de algo
I am certain of it → estoy seguro de ello
you don't sound very certain → no pareces estar muy seguro

2. (= sure)
for certain I can't say for certain → no puedo decirlo con seguridad or a ciencia cierta
we don't know for certain what caused the accident → no sabemos con seguridad or a ciencia cierta lo que causó el accidente
he's up to something, that's for certain → trama algo, de eso no hay duda or eso es seguro
to make certain of sth → asegurarse de algo
you should make certain of your facts → debes asegurarte de que los datos son ciertos
to make certain that → asegurarse de que
I wanted to make absolutely certain that this was the right number → quería asegurarme del todo de que este número era el correcto
I made certain that he kept his promise → me aseguré de que cumpliese su promesa

3. (= definite, guaranteed) [defeat, death, winner] → seguro; [cure] → definitivo; [fact] → cierto, seguro
one thing is certain → una cosa es segura ...
it is certain that → es seguro que ...
it's almost certain that her husband is dead → es casi seguro que or se tiene la casi completa seguridad de que su marido está muerto
the hospital is facing almost certain closure → el hospital se enfrenta al cierre casi inevitable
it is far from certain that they can win this election → no es ni mucho menos seguro or no está nada claro que puedan ganar estas elecciones
he has been there four times to my certain knowledge → me consta que or sé con certeza que ha estado allí cuatro veces
in the certain knowledge that → con la seguridad or certeza de que ...
nothing's certain in this world → no hay nada seguro en este mundo

4. + INFIN be certain to tell her → no dejes or olvides de decírselo
he is certain to be there → (es)seguro que estará allí
there's certain to be an argument → con seguridad se producirá una discusión; (less formal) → seguro que habrá una discusión
there's certain to be strong opposition to these proposals → está garantizado que estas propuestas se enfrentarán a una fuerte oposición
the plans are almost certain to go ahead → los planes se llevarán a cabo casi con toda seguridad

5. (= particular) → cierto
on a certain day in May → cierto día de mayo
a certain Mr/Mrs Smith → un tal Señor/una tal Señora Smith
of a certain age → de cierta edad
in certain circumstances → en ciertas or determinadas circunstancias
a certain number of people/years → un cierto número de personas/años
a certain person told me that → cierta persona me dijo que ...
she has a certain something → tiene algo or un no sé qué
at certain times of the day/month/year → en ciertos momentos del día/ciertos días del mes/ciertas épocas del año

6. (= slight) [impatience, bitterness, courage] → cierto
there's a certain amount of confusion about the arrangements → existe una cierta confusión or un cierto grado de confusión sobre los preparativos
to a certain degree or extent → hasta cierto punto

B. PRON (frm) → ciertos/as mpl/fpl, algunos/as mpl/fpl
certain of our leaders → ciertos líderes nuestros, algunos de nuestros líderes

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certain [ˈsɜː^rt^ən] adj

(= sure) → certain(e)
I'm absolutely certain it was him → Je suis absolument certain que c'était lui.
to be certain of sth → être certain(e) de qch
to know for certain → savoir à coup sûr
I don't know for certain → Je n'en suis pas certain.
to feel certain that → être certain que
to make certain that → s'assurer que
I made certain the door was locked → Je me suis assuré que la porte était fermée à clé.
to make certain of → s'assurer de

(= particular) [place, person] → certain(e); [coldness, pleasure, distinction] → certain(e)
certain days → certains jours
certain places → certains endroits
a certain person → une certaine personne
a certain Mr Smith → un certain M. Smith

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certain

adj

(= positive, convinced) → sicher; (= inevitable, guaranteed) → bestimmt, gewiss; are you certain of or about that? → sind Sie sich (dat) → dessen sicher?; is he certain? → weiß er das genau?; there’s no certain cure for this disease/for inflation → für or gegen diese Krankheit/gegen die Inflation gibt es kein sicheres Mittel; for certain → ganz sicher, ganz genau; I don’t know for certain, but I think … → ich bin mir nicht ganz sicher, aber ich glaube …; I can’t say for certain → ich kann das nicht genau or mit Sicherheit sagen; he is certain to come → er wird ganz bestimmt or gewiss kommen; we are certain to succeed → wir werden ganz bestimmt Erfolg haben; to make certain of something (= check) → sich einer Sache (gen) → vergewissern, etw nachprüfen; (= ensure) → für etw sorgen; to make certain of a seat → sich (dat) → einen Platz sichern; will you please make certain? → vergewissern Sie sich bitte noch einmal; be certain to tell him → vergessen Sie bitte nicht, ihm das zu sagen; there is certain to be strong opposition to the proposal → es wird sicher starken Widerstand gegen den Vorschlag geben; that was certain to happen → das musste ja so kommen; to my certain knowledge → ich bin mir ganz sicher

attr (= not named or specified) → gewiss; reason, conditions → bestimmt; a certain gentleman → ein gewisser Herr; to a certain extent or degree → in gewisser Hinsicht, zu einem bestimmten Grade; of a certain age → in einem gewissen Alter

pron → einige; certain of you/them → einige von euch/ihnen

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certain [ˈsɜːtən] adj

a. (sure) → certo/a, sicuro/a; (inevitable, death, success) → sicuro/a; (cure) → infallibile, garantito/a
he's certain to leave his job → è certo che lui lascerà il lavoro
it is certain that ... → è certo che...
I am certain of it → ne sono certo
he is certain to be there → lui ci sarà certamente
for certain → per certo, di sicuro
I can't say for certain that ... → non posso dire con certezza che...
be certain to tell her → ricordati or non dimenticarti di dirglielo
to make certain of sth → accertarsi di qc

b. (before n, particular) → certo/a
a certain gentleman called → ha telefonato un certo signore

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certain [ˈsɜːtən] adj

a. (sure) → certo/a, sicuro/a; (inevitable, death, success) → sicuro/a; (cure) → infallibile, garantito/a
he's certain to leave his job → è certo che lui lascerà il lavoro
it is certain that ... → è certo che...
I am certain of it → ne sono certo
he is certain to be there → lui ci sarà certamente
for certain → per certo, di sicuro
I can't say for certain that ... → non posso dire con certezza che...
be certain to tell her → ricordati or non dimenticarti di dirglielo
to make certain of sth → accertarsi di qc

b. (before n, particular) → certo/a
a certain gentleman called → ha telefonato un certo signore

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certain

adj certain [ˈsəːtn]

1 true or without doubt It's certain that the world is round. seker مُؤَكَّد сигурен jistý sikker sicher αληθινός, αδιαμφισβήτητος cierto vaieldamatu مسلم؛ بی تردید varma certain וַדָאִי, בָּטוּח निश्चित siguran, nedvojben biztos pasti einhver, nokkur certo, indubbio 確かな 의심 없는 tikras drošs; nešaubīgs pasti zeker sikker, viss pewny certo sigur несомненный istý nedvomen izvestan sann ซึ่งแท้จริง kuşkusuz, şüphesiz 千真萬確的，無疑的 певний, відомий سچ ، بلا شک و شبہ đích xác 无疑的

2 sure I'm certain he'll come; He is certain to forget; Being late is a certain way of losing one's job. seker مُتَأَكِّد убеден jistý, zaručený sikker sicher βέβαιος seguro kindel مطمئن varma certain בָּטוּח पक्का siguran biztos yakin viss, öruggur sicuro 確かな 확실한 tikras, įsitikinęs drošs; noteikts mesti zeker sikker, viss (på), overbevist om pewny seguro sigur уверенный istý prepričan; zanesljiv siguran säker ที่มั่นใจ emin, hiç kuşkusuz, kesin 確信的 упевнений یقینی chắc chắn 确信的

3 one or some, not definitely named certain doctors; a certain Mrs Smith; (also pronoun) certain of his friends. seker معيّن، ما известен jakýsi, nějaký; někdo vis; bestemt bestimmt κάποιος cierto teatav, mõningad یکی از؛ برخی از eräs, tietty certain מִיֶשהוּ असंदिग्ध određen, neki bizonyos seorang tiltekinn, viss, ákveðinn certo; qualche, qualcuno ある 어떤 kažkoks, kažkuris kāds; zināms seorang zeker, bepaald viss(e), bestemt(e) pewien certo anumit некоторый; некий nejaký; niekto neki; nekateri izvesni viss ไม่มีชื่อเฉพาะ bir, bazı, kimi 某個或某些 певний کوئی ، کوئی ایک nào đó 某个或某些

4 slight; some a certain hostility in his manner; a certain amount. seker قَليل някакъв jistý, určitý vis gewiß σχετικός, κάποιος cierto teatav کم؛ اندک eräänlainen, tietty certain מְסוּיָם कुछ neki egy kevés sedikit viss, nokkur certo ある程度の 어느 정도의 tam tikras, kažkoks zināms tertentu zeker viss pewien certo anumit некоторый istý določen određeni viss บางอย่าง biraz, bir miktar 一些 якийсь قدرے ، تھوڑا سا phần nào 一些

adv certainly

1 definitely I can't come today, but I'll certainly come tomorrow. sekerlik, beslis بالتَّأكيد определено určitě, jistě helt sikkert; helt bestemt bestimmt σίγουρα seguro kindlasti حتماً؛ یقیناً varmasti certainement בְּוַדַאי निश्चित रूप से zacijelo, dakako biztosan pasti vissulega, áreiðanlega certamente 確かに 확실히 tikrai noteikti pastinya zeker sikkert, bestemt na pewno de certeza sigur непременно určite gotovo svakako bestämt, otvivelaktigt อย่างแน่นอน mutlaka, kesinlikle 一定 звичайно یقیناً chắc chắn 一定

2 of course You may certainly have a chocolate. natuurlik طَبْعا، بالتَّأكيد разбира се samozřejmě selvfølgelig natürlich βεβαίως desde luego, por supuesto muidugi مسلماً toki certainement ללא ספק अवश्य svakako föltétlenül tentu vissulega, að sjálfsögðu certamente きっと 물론 žinoma protams sudah tentu natuurlijk visst, selvfølgelig naturalnie certamente bineînţeles конечно samozrejme seveda svakako naturligtvis อย่างแน่นอน elbette, tabiî, kuşkusuz, şüphesiz 當然 неодмінно بے شک ، یقیناً tất nhiên 当然

interj

of course May I borrow your typewriter?' `Certainly!'; Certainly not!' ja, seker طَبْعاً! естествено ovšem selvfølgelig aber natürlich φυσικά! (επιφ.) por supuesto muidugi البته tietenkin certainement בְּוַודַאי निश्चित रूप से svakako hogyne! tentu saja Auðvitað, að sjálfsögðu certo!; no di certo! もちろん 물론 žinoma protams! sudah pasti natuurlijk klart (det)!; så gjerne!; selvfølgelig!; ja visst! bezwzględnie certamente bine­­­­înţeles конечно iste(že), pravdaže seveda Naravno naturligtvis, absolut อย่างแน่นอน tabiî, hay hay, memnuniyetle 當然 звичайно قطعاً tất nhiên 当然

n certainty

1 something which cannot be doubted It's a certainty that he will win. sekerheid أَمْرٌ مُؤَكَّدٌ несъмнен факт jistá věc vished; sikkerhed die Sicherheit βεβαιότητα certeza, seguridad kindel asi یقین؛ اطمینان varma asia certitude וַדַאוּת निस्संदेह sigurnost, izvjesnost bizonyosság kepastian vissa certezza, cosa certa 確実なこと 확실성 tikras daiktas, neabejotinas dalykas drošība; noteiktība tanpa ragu-ragu zekerheid sikkerhet, visshet pewność, pewnik certeza несомненный факт istá vec gotovost izvesnost någonting säkert, en given sak ความแน่นอน besbelli, kesin 必然發生的事 безперечний факт تیقن ، یقینی بات điều chắc chắn 必然的事情

2 freedom from doubt Is there any certainty of success? sekerheid يَقين убеденост jistota vished; sikkerhed die Gewißheit βεβαιότητα certeza kindlus قطعیت takeet certitude בִּטָחוֹן निश्चितता sigurnost bizonyosság keyakinan vissa sicurezza 確実性 의심의 여지없이 tikrumas pārliecība kepastian zekerheid sikkerhet, visshet pewność certeza certitudine уверенность istota zanesljivost izvesnost visshet สิ่งที่แน่นอน kesinlik 毫無疑問，確定性 упевненість بلا شبہ sự tin chắc 亳无疑问

for certain

definitely She may come but she can't say for certain. vir seker بِالتَّأكيد със сигурност najisto, určitě bestemt; med sikkerhed ganz sicher (στα) σίγουρα con certeza, con toda seguridad kindlalt بدون شک؛ قطعاً varmasti avec certitude בְּווַדַאוּת निश्चित sigurnost biztosan dengan keyakinan með vissu di sicuro 確かに 확실히 tikrai droši; noteikti semestinya met zekerheid med sikkerhet, sikkert na pewno com certeza (în mod) sigur наверняка určite zagotovo sasvim sigurno säkert, med säkerhet อย่างชัดเจน kesin olarak 肯定地 впевнено یقیناً بالیقین hoàn toàn chắc chắn 肯定地

make certain

to act so that, or check that, something is sure Make certain you arrive early; I think he's dead but you'd better make certain. seker maak يَتَأكَّد уверявам се ujistit se, přesvědčit se sikre sig sich vergewissern βεβαιώνομαι asegurar (millegi eest) hoolt kandma, üle kontrollima مطمئن شدن؛ اطمینان به عمل آوردن varmistua s'assurer que לְווַדֵא निश्चित करना sigurnost megbizonyosodik vmiről memastikan ganga úr skugga um assicurarsi, accertarsi 確かめる 확실히 하다 pa(si)tikrinti, daryti taip, kad būtum tikras pārliecināties pastikan zorgen forsikre seg om upewniać się ter a certeza a se asigura (că) удостовериться uistiť sa, presvedčiť sa prepričati se uveriti se förvissa sig om อย่างชัดเจน garantiye almak, emin olmak 確定 упевнитися в чомусь یقینی بنانا kiểm tra lại 把...弄确实

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certain → محدد jistý sikker sicher σίγουρος cierto varma certain siguran certo 確信している 확신하는 sommige sikker pewny certo определенный säker แน่นอน kesin chắc chắn 确定的