adjective / determiner
certain
Particular but not explicitly identified
Certain plants need more sunlight than others.
Etymology
Latin certus meant settled or definite. In this use, the reference is definite for the speaker even though the particular person or thing is left unnamed.
More examples
- A certain neighbor keeps borrowing my tools.
- The discount applies only on certain days.
- She has a certain charm that is hard to describe.
Forms
certain
Similar words
- particular
- Identifies specific people or things without necessarily naming them.
- specific
- Specific identifies something precisely; certain can refer to a particular thing while withholding its identity.