certainty
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the feeling of being completely sure that something is true or will happen.
the psychological state of being confident or certain about a proposition or outcome.
Simple“I can say with certainty that we will finish the project on time.”
In context“Despite the conflicting evidence, the witness spoke with such absolute certainty that the jury found her testimony highly persuasive.”
UsageOften used in the phrase 'with certainty' or 'a sense of certainty'.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
something that is definitely true or that will definitely happen.
an established fact or an event that is inevitable.
Simple“It is a certainty that prices will rise again next year.”
In context“In the volatile world of venture capital, there is no such thing as a mathematical certainty, regardless of how promising a startup appears.”
UsageCommonly used with the definite article as 'a certainty'.
SynonymsAntonyms
“I had decided, with the particular certainty children sometimes develop about the rules of the world they are entering, that I would eat as little as possible before sixth grade.”
“But the climate crisis is not only a future certainty, it is past and present truth.”
From Middle English certeynte (“surety”), from Anglo-Norman certeinte, from Old French certeinete, from Vulgar Latin *certānitās, from Latin certus.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.