Uncertain
adj, noun ·Common ·Middle school level
Definitions
- 1 Something uncertain. plural, plural-only, with-definite-article
"Thinking about the uncertain refines our perception of the certain, and generally this takes place in a framework in which the uncertain is the future and the certain is the present."
- 1 Not certain; unsure.
"Conſider man without the protection and conduct of a ſuperior Being, and he is ſecure of nothing that he enjoys in this world, and uncertain of every thing that he hopes for."
- 2 Not known for certain; questionable.
"Tomorrow's weather is uncertain."
- 3 Not yet determined; undecided.
- 4 Variable and subject to change.
- 5 Fitful or unsteady.
"Turning back, then, toward the basement staircase, she began to grope her way through blinding darkness, but had taken only a few uncertain steps when, of a sudden, she stopped short and for a little stood like a stricken thing, quite motionless save that she quaked to her very marrow in the grasp of a great and enervating fear."
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- 6 Unpredictable or capricious.
"O, woman! in our hours of ease, / Uncertain, coy, and hard to please, / And variable as the shade / By the light quivering aspen made; […]"
- 1 ambiguous (especially in the negative) wordnet
- 2 not established beyond doubt; still undecided or unknown wordnet
- 3 lacking or indicating lack of confidence or assurance wordnet
- 4 not certain to occur; not inevitable wordnet
- 5 not consistent or dependable wordnet
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- 6 not established or confirmed wordnet
- 7 subject to change wordnet
Example
More examples"I am uncertain whether this is a thing of value."
Etymology
From Middle English uncerteyn. By surface analysis, un- + certain.
Related phrases
More for "uncertain"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.