certainty

/ˈsʌrtnti/

/ˈsʌtɪnti/

Other forms: certainties

A certainty is a sure thing, something we know is true or will happen without any doubt. Here's a certainty: One plus one is two. And here's another: The earth orbits the sun.

The noun certainty comes from the Latin word certus, meaning "sure" or "fixed." Besides being something that is certain, the word can also refer to a state of mind, like the confidence you feel when you know something is completely true or right. For example, you might speak with certainty about your decision to move to the big city and pursue your dream of becoming a famous actor. (But that doesn't necessarily mean becoming a famous actor is a certainty.)

Definitions of certainty

1. noun

   the state of being sure about something
   “his certainty reassured the others”

   antonyms:

   uncertainty

   the state of being unsure of something

   types:

   assurance, authority, confidence, self-assurance, self-confidence, sureness

   freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities

   certitude, cocksureness, overconfidence

   total certainty or greater certainty than circumstances warrant

   reliance, trust

   certainty based on past experience

   type of:

   cognitive state, state of mind

   the state of a person's cognitive processes
2. noun

   something that is definitely established
   “his victory is a certainty”

   synonyms: foregone conclusion, sure thing

   antonyms:

   uncertainty

   being unsettled or in doubt or dependent on chance

   types:

   cert

   an absolute certainty

   ineluctability, unavoidability

   the quality of being impossible to avoid or evade

   inevitability, inevitableness

   the quality of being unavoidable

   surety

   something clearly established

   indisputability, indubitability, unquestionability, unquestionableness

   the quality of being beyond question or dispute or doubt

   moral certainty

   certainty based on an inner conviction

   predictability

   the quality of being predictable

   slam dunk

   something that is a sure to occur; a foregone conclusion

   definiteness, determinateness

   the quality of being predictable with great confidence

   incontrovertibility, incontrovertibleness, positiveness, positivity

   the quality of being undeniable and not worth arguing about

   demonstrability, provability

   capability of being demonstrated or logically proved

   givenness

   the quality of being granted as a supposition; of being acknowledged or assumed

   type of:

   quality

   an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone