Find the word definition

Crossword clues for uncertain

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
uncertain
adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
an uncertain fate (=not clear, definite, or decided)
▪ The Bill faces an uncertain fate in the Senate.
face an uncertain/difficult future
▪ The company is facing an uncertain future.
uncertain (=not clear or decided)
▪ The college's future is now uncertain.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
as
▪ The coming year looks just as uncertain.
▪ Graeme Hick and Robin Smith were both exposed again as uncertain against pace and spin respectively.
▪ Underneath she was as uncertain as her twin.
▪ The level of future military commitments was just as uncertain.
▪ In all the days of his ecclesiastical career he had never been quite as uncertain as now.
▪ Scientists characterize the humanities as uncertain, vague and irrelevant.
more
▪ People living on the proposed site say their future is now more uncertain than ever.
▪ The position during the seventeenth century of the duchy of Savoy was much more uncertain than that of Venice.
▪ Strategic planning, because of its greater time horizon, must rely on long term forecasts and is therefore more uncertain.
▪ Mixed in with the sound of the washerwomen, there gradually came another, more uncertain one.
▪ Sarah Cunningham-Burley finds Aberdeen grandfathers much more uncertain than grandmothers of what their role should be.
▪ Economic progress would be far more uncertain and certainly far less rapid without it.
so
▪ If the nuns saw us we could not meet again, and our future was already so uncertain.
▪ Perhaps we are, otherwise why are we so uncertain about girls?
▪ Relativism is not an attractive proposition to anyone, least of all philosophers, because everything becomes so uncertain and transitory.
▪ This adventure climbing - so fragile, so uncertain - can it continue to claim our allegiance?
▪ Because superiority was so uncertain for the individual, it had to have one form that was permanent and secure.
▪ Seasonal work is so uncertain that the pickers are forced to work whatever the conditions just to make a few extra pesos.
somewhat
▪ In return, the Church cut a somewhat uncertain figure.
▪ The lowest Reynolds number at which this exists is somewhat uncertain but around 104. 4.
▪ What occurred next is somewhat uncertain.
▪ The background of this method is somewhat uncertain.
still
▪ Just how much is due to inherited characteristics, and how much to other biological factors or early childhood experiences is still uncertain.
▪ Arthur was impressed with Mary but still uncertain.
▪ That, probably, was why her left hand remained bare and the date of their wedding still uncertain.
▪ It is still uncertain how these possible burgi operated.
▪ He was still hesitant, still uncertain.
▪ Pupitres were adapted from these structures, although it is still uncertain who first employed them commercially for remuage.
▪ Does it need a title? Still uncertain, he wrote.
▪ Several years later, the future of this great church is still uncertain.
too
▪ With regard to acquittal rates in the magistrates' courts, our data are too uncertain to draw firm conclusions as they are incomplete.
▪ However, the recent lunar eclipse and Mercury in retrograde motion signify the financial position is much too uncertain.
▪ The situation was too fluid, the future too uncertain for any relaxation yet.
▪ He was silent, scowling, and Hoomey was too uncertain of him to say anything.
▪ Holly looked quizzical when she sat down again but she was too busy and too uncertain to explain.
very
▪ I certainly regarded the continuance of child benefit as very uncertain, and I still regard it as uncertain.
▪ Another day would be gone with only the beginnings of a very uncertain transaction made.
▪ Suddenly things must have seemed very uncertain.
▪ I clenched my teeth and closed my eyes as the plane headed straight into very uncertain, very uncharted territory indeed.
▪ It was very uncertain whether Henry would be able to retain the crown he had seized.
▪ Whether it can persuade the Government to dig in its heels over this issue looks very uncertain.
▪ Or, more simply, there is a belief that the status of the Devil is very uncertain in the New Testament.
▪ This one weighs about six pounds and still seems very uncertain of its role in the wild.
■ NOUN
future
▪ It is a happy but open ending, as the young couple, like most others, face an uncertain future.
▪ But Wu said Amelio must still convince customers they should buy Macs, a product that may have an uncertain future.
▪ They also warn that some leading hospitals may face an uncertain future if they lose patients to outside bidders.
▪ He said the uncertain future of the council already has caused a third of the staff to move on to other jobs.
▪ Not only is he facing an uncertain future, he is being forced to behave in an uncharacteristic fashion every day.
▪ With the conclusion of the conference, Yardley sailed back to the United States and to an uncertain future.
▪ As we consider the dream of Jacob we find a man who stood alone and facing an uncertain future.
▪ Lefors, founded in 1900 as the Gray County seat, long has faced an uncertain future.
manner
▪ The predatory gleam in his eyes told her in no uncertain manner that he wanted her too.
▪ She had been dismissed, and in no uncertain manner.
▪ Its first ascent in 1882 saw the start of the escalation of climbing standards in no uncertain manner.
▪ Dignam's career blossomed in no uncertain manner.
quantity
▪ Cumulative Density Function By definition, an uncertain quantity is one whose value can lie anywhere along a specified range.
term
▪ She would write, when she was away from here, tell him in no uncertain terms exactly what she thought of him.
▪ This means that we are going to lock you up, in no uncertain terms.
▪ Those coming into leadership are told in no uncertain terms what their task is to be.
▪ That night they told her, in no uncertain terms, to go for it.
▪ If he had chosen to, Thomas might have told her in no uncertain terms what was wrong.
▪ But DuPonceau does venture to contradict, and in no uncertain terms.
▪ She wanted nothing at all from her father and she was about to tell Alain Lemarchand so in no uncertain terms.
▪ In fact, he had told her in no uncertain terms to go forth and multiply.
world
▪ It's up to him to show some grit in an uncertain world.
▪ In an uncertain world, lenders normally prefer to lend short-term rather than long-term because of the greater liquidity of short-term debt.
▪ The important result is that in an uncertain world companies like to maintain a stable payout ratio over the long run.
▪ There is no simple answer in an uncertain world where monitoring and enforcement also use up society's scarce resources.
▪ How can agents improve their forecasts of inflation in an uncertain world?
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ A spokesman said the governor's travel plans were still uncertain.
▪ She took a few uncertain steps forward.
▪ The company faces a highly uncertain future.
▪ The economic outlook is so uncertain that I would think carefully before investing any money.
▪ The long-term benefits of the treatment are extremely uncertain.
▪ The situation on the island is still very uncertain and the army is on full alert.
▪ They were worried about their son's uncertain future.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Doctors are uncertain of what self-government would mean in detail.
▪ Even now, city staff appears uncertain what can be built on the property.
▪ Even where links were still in place, their future remained uncertain.
▪ If you hesitate the secretary will sense that you are uncertain and wonder whether to put you through or not.
▪ Indeed, we shall stress the importance of work organization in change agendas geared towards securing competitive advantage in uncertain market environments.
▪ More typical is the partial cure where the doctors could say that the treatment was worthwhile but the future uncertain.
▪ She would write, when she was away from here, tell him in no uncertain terms exactly what she thought of him.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Uncertain

Uncertain \Un*cer"tain\, a. [Pref. un- + certain. Cf. Incertain.]

  1. Not certain; not having certain knowledge; not assured in mind; distrustful.
    --Chaucer.

    Man, without the protection of a superior Being, . . . is uncertain of everything that he hopes for.
    --Tillotson.

  2. Irresolute; inconsonant; variable; untrustworthy; as, an uncertain person; an uncertain breeze.

    O woman! in our hours of ease, Uncertain, coy, and hard to please!
    --Sir W. Scott.

  3. Questionable; equivocal; indefinite; problematical. ``The fashion of uncertain evils.''
    --Milton.

    From certain dangers to uncertain praise.
    --Dryden.

  4. Not sure; liable to fall or err; fallible.

    Soon bent his bow, uncertain in his aim.
    --Dryden.

    Whistling slings dismissed the uncertain stone.
    --Gay.

    Syn: See Precarious.

Uncertain

Uncertain \Un*cer"tain\, v. t. [1st pref. un- + certain; or fr. uncertain, a.] To make uncertain. [Obs.]
--Sir W. Raleigh.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
uncertain

c.1300, "of indeterminate time or occurrence," from un- (1) "not" + certain (adj.). Meaning "not fully confident" is recorded from late 14c. (implied in uncertainty). Related: Uncertainly.

Wiktionary
uncertain

a. 1 Not certain; unsure. 2 Not known for certain; questionable. 3 Not yet determined; undecided. 4 variable and subject to change. 5 fitful or unsteady. 6 unpredictable or capricious.

WordNet
uncertain
  1. adj. lacking or indicating lack of confidence or assurance; "uncertain of his convictions"; "unsure of himself and his future"; "moving with uncertain (or unsure) steps"; "an uncertain smile"; "touched the ornaments with uncertain fingers" [syn: unsure, incertain] [ant: certain(p), certain(p)]

  2. not established beyond doubt; still undecided or unknown; "an uncertain future"; "a manuscript of uncertain origin"; "plans are still uncertain"; "changes of great if uncertain consquences"; "without further evidence his story must remain uncertain" [ant: certain(p)]

  3. not established or confirmed; "his doom is as yet unsealed" [syn: unsealed] [ant: sealed]

  4. not firm or secure; "balancing three boxes in an uncertain pile"

  5. not certain to occur; not inevitable; "everything is uncertain about the army"; "the issue is uncertain" [ant: certain]

  6. subject to change; "a changeable climate"; "the weather is uncertain"; "unsettled weather with rain and hail and sunshine coming one right after the other" [syn: changeable, unsettled]

  7. not safe from danger or mishap; "faced an uncertain future"; "an unsure existence" [syn: unsure]

  8. not consistent or dependable; "an uncertain recollection of events"; "a gun with a rather uncertain trigger"

  9. ambiguous (especially in the negative); "she spoke in no uncertain terms"

Gazetteer
Uncertain, TX -- U.S. city in Texas
Population (2000): 150
Housing Units (2000): 137
Land area (2000): 0.509950 sq. miles (1.320765 sq. km)
Water area (2000): 0.001216 sq. miles (0.003150 sq. km)
Total area (2000): 0.511166 sq. miles (1.323915 sq. km)
FIPS code: 74240
Located within: Texas (TX), FIPS 48
Location: 32.710040 N, 94.121893 W
ZIP Codes (1990):
Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
Headwords:
Uncertain, TX
Uncertain
Wikipedia
Uncertain (album)

Uncertain is the first EP of the Irish band The Cranberries, produced by Pearse Gilmore, it was released in the autumn of 1991, having previously released cassette EPs under the name The Cranberry Saw Us. Uncertain was released by Xeric Records on both CD and 12" vinyl formats. Approximately 5,000 total copies of "Uncertain" were ever produced. The Cranberries debut EP did not chart.

An unreleased music video was made for the main theme "Uncertain", the clip shows a young Dolores, recalling her days as a child on the Ireland forest; a brief part of the clip was included on their DVD compilation, "Stars: The Best of 1992–2002".

Uncertain

Uncertain may refer to:

  • Uncertain, Texas, a town in the United States
  • Uncertain (album), 1991 album of The Cranberries

Usage examples of "uncertain".

I was a sickly and precarious and tiresome and uncertain child, and lived mainly on allopathic medicines during the first seven years of my life.

No doubt it shows at the same time how uncertain Origen was as to the applicability of popular conceptions when he was dealing with the sphere of the Psychici.

Such is the construction of any choche employed to carry an Elder Architect, ambassador or other luminary about the uncertain streets of Ornice Olorun.

But such attribution is uncertain because skeletal remains are usually absent at tool sites.

We uncertain spellers, five or six ballet fans, sat in the gallery of the Stadttheater and looked on critically at the recital that the ballet master had ventured to stage with the help of Madame Lara.

A great part of his baronage held aloof, uncertain where their interests lay.

Even at this moment as he gazed on de Batz the greed and the cruelty in him were fighting one of those battles the issue of which is always uncertain in men of his stamp.

During the three or four days in question, Bernard lingered on at Baden, uncertain what to do or where to go, feeling as if he had received a sudden check-- a sort of spiritual snub--which arrested the accumulation of motive.

Gordon answered that his movements were very uncertain, and that he should be sorry to trouble Bernard to follow him about.

The result shows how uncertain are all speculations in regard to the manurial requirements of plants.

Preventive boat drew closer, the voices of the men hushed, growing more uncertain as the minutes ticked by with no mermaid song.

Ariadne, her arm flung out as if to push away the intervening air and impel herself forward, arrested by the charged glance that passes between Bacchus and herself, seemed by that very act to lose power, to be rendered uncertain, while Bacchus, his near nakedness easily outclassing her draped figure, demonstrates that he has no need to emphasize this act of possession.

Jeanie herself was the bonniest lassie in the whole town, but light-headed, and fonder of outgait and blether in the causey than was discreet of one of her uncertain parentage.

We know that to a depth of about a hundred miles the mantle consists predominantly of a type of rock known as peridotite, but what fills the space beyond is uncertain.

On a good day, which meant a day when the physios managed to goad her sufficiently, Catherine could manage one or two uncertain steps on callipers and crutches, rolling along like a caricature of a peg-legged sailor.