a certain
idiom
1
—used to refer to a quality that is noticed but that is difficult to explain or describe
She has a certain elegance about her.
The house has a certain charm.
2
formal
—used with the name of a person one does not know
In 1889, a certain Mr. Kelly made a large donation to the church.
Examples of a certain in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
What Michaels was talking about was that, at a certain point, the show got away from him.
—
Susan Morrison, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025
There’s a certain seductive logic to the argument Hoult’s anguished protagonist makes for letting someone take the fall for his mistake.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 13 Jan. 2025
This list could include an accounting analyst's username and password for a certain application or a machine account that is used to keep a system up and running.
—Rita Gurevich, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
More's the pity, this magnificently weird idea has a certain practicality to it, as well as a truly bizarre aesthetic that would definitely turn heads on the street - while not so much as raising an eyebrow when parked.
—New Atlas, 11 Jan. 2025
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Susan Morrison, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025
There’s a certain seductive logic to the argument Hoult’s anguished protagonist makes for letting someone take the fall for his mistake.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 13 Jan. 2025
This list could include an accounting analyst's username and password for a certain application or a machine account that is used to keep a system up and running.
—Rita Gurevich, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
More's the pity, this magnificently weird idea has a certain practicality to it, as well as a truly bizarre aesthetic that would definitely turn heads on the street - while not so much as raising an eyebrow when parked.
—New Atlas, 11 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for a certain
Dictionary Entries Near a certain
Cite this Entry
“A certain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20certain. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
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