uncertain
adjective · noun
Simple meaning
Not sure about something, or not yet decided or predictable.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
uhnsurtuhnSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ənˈsɝtən
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Not certain to occur; not inevitable
“Everything is uncertain about the army.”
Not established beyond doubt; still undecided or unknown
Not known for certain; questionable.
Not established or confirmed
Not certain; unsure.
Not yet determined; undecided.
noun
with "the"
Something uncertain.
Understand the Word
How this word is built, and what each part adds.
Uncertain describes someone who is not sure, or something that is not settled.
- un-
- not, or without
- certain
- sure about something
Prefix function , Not — expresses absence of the quality
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Not certain to occur; not inevitable
Used this way, uncertain is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“Everything is uncertain about the army.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “uncertain about …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: uncertain about …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use uncertain
- “Uncertain of his convictions.”adjective
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: not certain to occur
Antonyms
Sense: not certain to occur
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.