certainty
noun
cer·tain·ty
ˈsər-tᵊn-tē 
plural certainties
1
: something that is certain
2
: the quality or state of being certain especially on the basis of evidence
Synonyms
Examples of certainty in a Sentence
Scientists still do not know with any degree of certainty why the disease spread so quickly.
We cannot predict the outcome with absolute certainty.
There was no certainty that the package would arrive in time.
Her certainty about these complex moral issues is surprising.
Recent Examples on the Web
The lack of transparency associated with the Maldivian government—today’s and those of the recent past—is mirrored by the lack of certainty around the islands’ early history, as Hassan Ahmed Maniku explains in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Sri Lanka Branch.
—
Rob Crossan, JSTOR Daily, 17 Jan. 2025
His squads in October and November had considerable overlap, with several mainstays looking like World Cup certainties, including Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Folarin Balogun and Antonee Robinson.
—Jeff Rueter, The Athletic, 15 Jan. 2025
Here is the story of a Stonewall brick that can be told with relative certainty: In 2019, Kurt Kelly, one of the bar’s current owners, was up in his office; outside, construction workers were zhuzhing up the building’s façade, in anticipation of the uprising’s fiftieth anniversary.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025
To me, that line reveals that for all her insistence, all her certainty about this relationship, some of it is perhaps all in her head.
—Megan Collins, People.com, 12 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for certainty 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Rob Crossan, JSTOR Daily, 17 Jan. 2025
His squads in October and November had considerable overlap, with several mainstays looking like World Cup certainties, including Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Folarin Balogun and Antonee Robinson.
—Jeff Rueter, The Athletic, 15 Jan. 2025
Here is the story of a Stonewall brick that can be told with relative certainty: In 2019, Kurt Kelly, one of the bar’s current owners, was up in his office; outside, construction workers were zhuzhing up the building’s façade, in anticipation of the uprising’s fiftieth anniversary.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025
To me, that line reveals that for all her insistence, all her certainty about this relationship, some of it is perhaps all in her head.
—Megan Collins, People.com, 12 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for certainty
Dictionary Entries Near certainty
Cite this Entry
“Certainty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/certainty. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
certainty
noun
cer·tain·ty
ˈsərt-ᵊn-tē
plural certainties
1
: something certain
2
: the quality or state of being or feeling certain
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share