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
That is just an example of a show that should be restricted to a certain district, because there's only a very small group of audiences that are interested in that show and its worldview and its content.
—
Elizabeth Stanton, FOXNews.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Maybe that means saving to buy a house in a certain neighborhood, take a bucket-list vacation together, or dine at a special restaurant once a month.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 26 Mar. 2025
Elliott was totally keyframe animated yet had a stop-motion vibe in accordance with the director’s desire to embrace a certain artifice that was somewhat surreal.
—Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 26 Mar. 2025
And on the flip side, stopping coffee consumption at a certain point during the day can have benefits as well.
—Erin Hooker, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for a certain
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Elizabeth Stanton, FOXNews.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Maybe that means saving to buy a house in a certain neighborhood, take a bucket-list vacation together, or dine at a special restaurant once a month.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 26 Mar. 2025
Elliott was totally keyframe animated yet had a stop-motion vibe in accordance with the director’s desire to embrace a certain artifice that was somewhat surreal.
—Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 26 Mar. 2025
And on the flip side, stopping coffee consumption at a certain point during the day can have benefits as well.
—Erin Hooker, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for a certain
Cite this Entry
“A certain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20certain. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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