Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adverb Undoubtedly; definitely.
- adverb By all means; of course.
- adverb Surely.
from The Century Dictionary.
- With certainty; without doubt or question; in truth and fact; without fail; inevitably; assuredly; undoubtedly; unquestionably; of a certainty.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adverb Without doubt or question; unquestionably.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adverb In a way which is
certain ; withcertainty . - adverb Without
doubt ,surely ;of course . - adverb An emphatic
affirmative answer.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adverb definitely or positively (`sure' is sometimes used informally for `surely')
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word certainly.
Examples
-
The scientific issues were what initially brought me to this debate, but the religious implications are certainly right there in your face as well...and, both subjects are *certainly* interesting.
Creationism and Censorship James F. McGrath 2008
-
The R rating should certainly mean there is a lot more to follow that they can't show us in the trailer..certainly should make it a lot edgier.
First Trailer for Katherine Heigl's The Ugly Truth « FirstShowing.net 2008
-
You are certainly quite right about it, Porfiry began gaily, looking with extraordinary simplicity at Raskolnikov (which startled him and instantly put him on his guard) certainly quite right in laughing so wittily at our legal forms, he-he!
Chapter V. Part IV 1917
-
'We certainly intend,' -- the emphasis here is on the word '_certainly_,' though the reader who has not the key of the times may not perceive it; 'We certainly intend to comprehend them ALL.'
The Philosophy of the Plays of Shakspere Unfolded Delia Bacon 1835
-
Getting back to why I say Ma * lied* to the public, listen to what Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (溫家寶) says about an ECFA: --- Promoting the signing of a cross-Strait [sic] ECFA will certainly bring about complete unification of the motherland [sic] --- It will * most certainly* affect Taiwan's sovereignty, and I believe that Mr. Ma knows this very well.
WN.com - Articles related to Taiwan urges China not to block trade agreements 2010
-
And while that might be debatable, the phrase certainly applies to Robert Redford, erstwhile Mr 1970s Box Office and former bedroom poster idol of a generation, now an irredeemably boring director.
The Conspirator proves that Robert Redford should stick to Sundance 2011
-
And while that might be debatable, the phrase certainly applies to Robert Redford, erstwhile Mr 1970s Box Office and former bedroom poster idol of a generation, now an irredeemably boring director.
The Conspirator proves that Robert Redford should stick to Sundance 2011
-
Ironically, while the title certainly titillates, it's hardly radical.
-
Ironically, while the title certainly titillates, it's hardly radical.
James Rotondi: Buddhist Backlash: Stephen Batchelor Braves The Storm 2010
-
The C of the title certainly stands for Carrefax, but also for cyanide, Sophie's poison of choice; cysteine, the amino acid that darkens the spa waters; his father's coils of copper wire; the caul Serge was born under; the air corps where he first snorts cocaine; Morse code; and even the cc of Serge's carbon-copied reports.
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.