French word

certitude

Pronunciation

IPA/sɛʁtityd/

Meaning

  • feminine nouncertainty

Example

J'ai la certitude que tu viendras.

I am certain that you will come.

Illustration for certitude (certainty)

More examples

Elle a perdu sa certitude après l'accident.

She lost her certainty after the accident.

Core concept

A fact held like a firmly locked point in the mind, with no reasonable space left for doubt.

Common phrases

  • avoir la certitude que

    be certain that

  • perdre sa certitude

    lose one's certainty

Similar words

confiance: Reliance on a person or thing believed to be trustworthy.
assurance: Self-confidence in one's decisions and actions.
conviction: A firmly held belief that remains unchanged.

Definition in French

État d'assurance quant à la vérité d'un fait ; une conviction soutenue qui exclut le doute raisonnable.

Word origin

Certitude comes from Latin certitudo, built from certus, meaning certain, with the abstract-noun ending -tudo, and entered French through Old French.

Usage tips

  • Certitude is feminine: une certitude, and the common pattern is avoir la certitude que followed by a clause.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word