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
Thomson acknowledged the Phillies placed a certain level of trust in Stott to be open with them.
—
Matt Gelb, The Athletic, 18 Feb. 2025
Though hardly amused by the turmoil, the director can at least appreciate a certain irony in his country’s further rightward tilt.
—Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 17 Feb. 2025
On This Day When Jan. 3, 2025 Where A private club in Manhattan
Caviar Cake Wanting to have the wedding flow a certain way, Ms. Ko decided that cutting the cake would make more sense during the cocktail hour.
—Valeriya Safronova, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2025
Dexter gains a certain amount of confidence from his experiences in Season 1, and yet with that confidence comes harder lessons and bigger mistakes to make.
—Nick Caruso, TVLine, 14 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for a certain 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Matt Gelb, The Athletic, 18 Feb. 2025
Though hardly amused by the turmoil, the director can at least appreciate a certain irony in his country’s further rightward tilt.
—Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 17 Feb. 2025
On This Day When Jan. 3, 2025 Where A private club in Manhattan
Caviar Cake Wanting to have the wedding flow a certain way, Ms. Ko decided that cutting the cake would make more sense during the cocktail hour.
—Valeriya Safronova, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2025
Dexter gains a certain amount of confidence from his experiences in Season 1, and yet with that confidence comes harder lessons and bigger mistakes to make.
—Nick Caruso, TVLine, 14 Feb. 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 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share