Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
1,799,188,437 visitors served.
forum mailing list For webmasters
?
New: Language forums
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

uncertainty
(redirected from uncertainties)

   Also found in: Medical, Legal, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
un·cer·tain·ty  (n-sûrtn-t)
n. pl. un·cer·tain·ties
1. The condition of being uncertain; doubt.
2. Something uncertain: the uncertainties of modern life.
3. Statistics The estimated amount or percentage by which an observed or calculated value may differ from the true value.
Synonyms: uncertainty, doubt, dubiety, skepticism, suspicion, mistrust
These nouns refer to the condition of being unsure about someone or something. Uncertainty, the least forceful, merely denotes a lack of assurance or conviction: I regarded my decision with growing uncertainty.
Doubt and dubiety imply a questioning state of mind: "Doubt is part of all religion" (Isaac Bashevis Singer). On this point there can be no dubiety.
Skepticism generally suggests an instinctive or habitual tendency to question and demand proof: "A wise skepticism is the first attribute of a good critic" (James Russell Lowell).
Suspicion is doubt as to the innocence, truth, integrity, honesty, or soundness of someone or something: His furtiveness aroused my suspicions.
Mistrust denotes lack of trust or confidence, as in a person's motives, arising from suspicion: The staff viewed the consultant's hasty recommendations with mistrust.

uncertainty [ʌnˈsɜːtəntɪ]
n pl -ties
1. Also called uncertainness the state or condition of being uncertain
2. an uncertain matter, contingency, etc.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.uncertaintyuncertainty - being unsettled or in doubt or dependent on chance; "the uncertainty of the outcome"; "the precariousness of his income"
quality - an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone; "the quality of mercy is not strained"--Shakespeare
doubt, doubtfulness, dubiousness, question - uncertainty about the truth or factuality or existence of something; "the dubiousness of his claim"; "there is no question about the validity of the enterprise"
indefiniteness, indefinity, indeterminacy, indeterminateness, indetermination - the quality of being vague and poorly defined
unpredictability - lacking predictability
improbability, improbableness - the quality of being improbable; "impossibility should never be confused with improbability"; "the improbability of such rare coincidences"
fortuitousness - the quality of happening accidentally and by lucky chance
speculativeness - the quality of being a conclusion or opinion based on supposition and conjecture rather than on fact or investigation; "her work is highly contentious because of its speculativeness and lack of supporting evidence"
sure thing, certainty, foregone conclusion - something that is certain; "his victory is a certainty"
2.uncertaintyuncertainty - the state of being unsure of something
cognitive state, state of mind - the state of a person's cognitive processes
arriere pensee, mental reservation, reservation - an unstated doubt that prevents you from accepting something wholeheartedly
distrust, mistrust, suspicion, misgiving - doubt about someone's honesty
disbelief, incredulity, mental rejection, skepticism - doubt about the truth of something
indecision, indecisiveness, irresolution - doubt concerning two or more possible alternatives or courses of action; "his indecision was only momentary but the opportunity was lost"
peradventure - doubt or uncertainty as to whether something is the case; "this proves beyond peradventure that he is innocent"
suspense - an uncertain cognitive state; "the matter remained in suspense for several years"
certainty - the state of being certain; "his certainty reassured the others"

uncertainty
noun
1. unpredictability, precariousness, state of suspense, ambiguity, unreliability, fickleness, inconclusiveness, chanciness, changeableness a period of political uncertainty
unpredictability predictability, conclusiveness
2. doubt, confusion, dilemma, misgiving, qualm, bewilderment, quandary, puzzlement, perplexity, mystification The magazine ignores all the uncertainties males currently face.
doubt confidence, assurance, certainty, sureness
3. hesitancy, hesitation, indecision, lack of confidence, vagueness, irresolution There was a hint of uncertainty in his voice.
4. unsureness, doubt, scepticism, ambivalence, disquiet, indecision, vagueness, hesitancy, vacillation, lack of conviction, irresolution, dubiety, doubtfulness There is genuine uncertainty about the party's future plans.
Translations
uncertainty [ʌnˈsɜːtntɪ] N
1. (= doubt) → duda f, incertidumbre f
in view of this uncertainty or these uncertaintiesteniendo en cuenta estas dudas or este grado de incertidumbre
there is uncertainty about the number of woundedno se sabe con seguridad el número de heridos
stress is caused by uncertainty about the futureel estrés está causado por la incertidumbre or inseguridad sobre el futuro
2. (= indecision) → indecisión f
he heard the uncertainty in her voicenotó la indecisión en su voz

uncertainty [ʌnˈsɜːrtənti] nincertitude f
a period of political uncertainty → une période d'incertitude politique

uncertainty
n (= state)Ungewissheit f; (= indefiniteness)Unbestimmtheit f; (= doubt)Zweifel m, → Unsicherheit f; in order to remove any uncertaintyum alle eventuellen Unklarheiten zu beseitigen; there is still some uncertainty as to whether …es besteht noch Ungewissheit, ob …

uncertainty [ʌnˈsɜːtntɪ] n (of situation) → incertezza; (confusion) → dubbi mpl
the uncertainties of this life → le incognite della vita
uncertainty [ʌnˈsɜːtntɪ] n (of situation) → incertezza; (confusion) → dubbi mpl
the uncertainties of this life → le incognite della vita

uncertainty عدم التأكد nejistota uvished Ungewissheit αβεβαιότητα incertidumbre epävarmuus incertitude neizvjesnost incertezza 不確実 불확실 onzekerheid usikkerhet niepewność incerteza неопределенность osäkerhet ความไม่แน่นอน belirsizlik sự không chắc chắn 无确定因素


How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
Add definition
? Mentioned in
 
Dictionary/thesaurus browser? ? Full browser
 
 
Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Translations
?

Disclaimer | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2009 Farlex, Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Terms of Use.