English · Word Candidate

certain

/ˈsɜː.tən/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: certainer · certainest

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Sure in one's mind, positive; absolutely confident in the truth of something.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Chắc chắn trong tâm trí, tích cực, hoàn toàn tự tin vào sự thật của điều gì

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Adjective

Examples

I was certain of my decision.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Not to be doubted or denied; established as a fact.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Không thể nghi ngờ hoặc phủ nhận, được thiết lập như một sự thật

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Adjective

Examples

Now that more experiments have been run, the theory is certain and the argument is settled.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Having been determined but not specified.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Đã được xác định nhưng không được chỉ định

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Determiner

Examples

Certain people are good at running.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 4

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Unnamed or undescribed members (of).

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Các thành viên không được đặt tên hoặc mô tả

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Pronoun

Examples

She mentioned a series of contracts, of which certain are not cited.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “certain” mean?

Sure in one's mind, positive; absolutely confident in the truth of something.

Is “certain” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.