Alternatives for Certain

Alternatives is a recurring post in which I give synonyms for an over used word. Click on the tab above for a "complete" list of over used words.

Today's word is:

I often find it interesting how one word can have so many nuances of meaning. Take certain, for example. It can be used in the sense of being anonymous as in, "A certain person told me it's your birthday today." Or in the sense of surety as in, "For certain the sun will rise tomorrow." It's certain, some of us may use this word too much so...

...depending on how you use it, this list may come in handy for finding another way to say the same thing.

absolute/absolutely, accepted, accomplished, acknowledged, anonymous, as a matter of course, ascertained, assertive, assured, authentic, avoidless

believing beyond all doubt/question, bound

calm, can’t miss, categorical, certitude, clear, clear as a bell, clear as day, clinch, cocksure, conclusive, confident, confirmed, constant, convinced

deadly, dead sure, decided, decisive, definite, dependable, definite, destined, determinate/determined, dismiss all doubt, doomed, doubtless

effective, ensure, established, evident, exact, explicit, express

fact, fail-safe, fated, final, find out once and for all, firm, fixed, flat, foolproof, for a certainty, foreordained,  frozen,

given, good, goof-proof, guaranteed

hard, hard-and-fast

idiot-proof, implicit, inarguable, incontestable, incontrovertible, indisputable, individual,  indubitable, ineluctable, ineluctable, ineludible, inescapable, inevitable,  inexorable, inexpugnable, infallible, in no doubt, in the bag, in truth,  irrefutable, it’s gospel, it’s scripture

known

lay down the law, likely

matter of fact

named, necessary, no doubt, no mistake, nonadjustable, noncancelable, nonnegotiable, not in doubt,

obvious, of course, official, one

particular, persuaded, past dispute, plain, positive, possible, precise, predestined, predetermined, preordained, probable

questionless

recognized, relentless, reliable, resolute, responsible,

safe, sanguine, satisfied, secure, self-assured, self-confident, self-evident, set, set to rest,  settled, solid, some, special, specific, stable, stated, staunch, steady, stipulated, sure/sureness/surety, sure as fate, sure as death and taxes, sure as shooting, sure enough, sure fire, sure thing,

tried and tested, to be sure, tried and true, true, trustworthy, trusty

unanswerable, unarguable, unavoidable unchangeable/unchanging, unchallengeable, unconcerned, uncontestable, uncontrovertible, undefeasible, undeniable, undisputable/undisputed, undisturbed, undoubted/undoubtful/undoubting, unequivocal, unerring, unfailing, unfaltering, unhesitating, unidentified, uniform, unimpeachable, unmistakable, unnamed, unperturbed, unremitting, unspecified, unstoppable, unquestioned/unquestionable, untroubled, unwavering

valid, very likely

well-founded, without a shadow of doubt/question, without fail, without power of appeal

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This is kind of a sweet song by Jay and the Americas recorded live at The Cafe Wha? way back in 1962. It was first made popular by Johnny Mathis in 1958, but I kind of like this version.