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The quality, state, or condition, of being certain. The certainty of punishment is the truest security against crimes. Fisher Ames.

Uncertainty. [Obs.] Shak.

uncertain; something unknown. Our shepherd's case is every man's case that quits a moral certainty for an uncertainty. L'Estrange.

doctrine held by the ancient Skeptic philosophers, that human knowledge never amounts to certainty, but only to probability.

The quality or state of being ambiguous; doubtfulness or uncertainty, particularly as to the signification of language, arising from its admitting of more than one meaning; an equivocal word or expression. No shadow of ambiguity can rest upon the course to be pursued. I. Taylor. The words are of single signification, w…

Doubt; uncertainty. [Obs.] Shelford.

In an anxious manner; with painful uncertainty; solicitously.

To know or learn with certainty. [Obs.] G. You are too much distrustful of my truth. E. Then you must give me leave to apprehend The means and manner how. Beau. & Fl.

To find out or learn for a certainty, by trial, examination, or experiment; to get to know; as, to ascertain the weight of a commodity, or the purity of a metal. He was there only for the purpose of ascertaining whether a descent on England was practicable. Macaulay.

The act of ascertaining; a reducing to certainty; a finding out by investigation; discovery. The positive ascertainment of its limits. Burke.

Assurance; certainty. [Obs.]

Anything fixed or reduced to a certainty in point of time, number, quantity, quality, weight, measure, etc.; as, rent of assize. Glanvill. Spelman. Cowell. Blackstone. Tomlins. Burrill.

he state of being assured; firm persuasion; full confidence or trust; freedom from doubt; certainty. Let us draw with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience. Heb. x. 22.

The state of being assured; certainty; full confidence.

upon word or testimony; partial or full assurance without positive knowledge or absolute certainty; persuasion; conviction; confidence; as, belief of a witness; the belief of our senses. Belief admits of all degrees, from the slightest suspicion to the fullest assurance. Reid.

ve a firm persuasion, esp. of the truths of religion; to have a persuasion approaching to certainty; to exercise belief or faith. Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. Mark ix. 24. With the heart man believeth unto righteousness. Rom. x. 10.

A mixing together. I am not able to avouch anything for certainty, such a brewing and sophistication of them they make. Holland.

Certainty. [Obs.] Gower.

Certainty.

Freedom from doubt; assurance; certainty. J. H. Newman.