Dictionary

uncertainty en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (California, Southern) audio
• /ʌnˈsɜːtənti/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ʌnˈsɝtənti/ (Canada, General-American)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ɐnˈsɜːtənti/ (Australia)
• /ɐnˈsøːtənti/ (New-Zealand)

Etymology

From Middle English uncerteynte; equivalent to un- + certainty or uncertain + -ty.

Meanings

1. (uncountable) Doubt; the condition of being uncertain or without conviction.
   • After spending so much of the season looking upwards, the swashbuckling style and swagger of early season Spurs was replaced by uncertainty and frustration against a Norwich side who had the quality and verve to take advantage 2012 April 9, Mandeep Sanghera, “Tottenham 1-2 Norwich”, in BBC Sport:
   • Piecing together Corbynomics is difficult, not least because it has evolved during Mr Corbyn’s time in charge of Labour. The gulf between the Labour leadership’s past positions and the milder proposals in the manifesto means that enormous uncertainty hangs over what a Corbyn-led government would do in office. 2018 May 17, “Corbynomics would change Britain—but not in the way most people think”, in The Economist:
   • “Well,” I answered, at first with uncertainty, then with inspiration, “he would do splendidly to lead your cotillon, if you think of having one.” ¶ “So you do not dance, Mr. Crocker?” ¶ I was somewhat set back by her perspicuity. 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, page 51:
   • It's a full circle. Over the past 43 years, RAIL has reported on how the railways have gone from uncertainty under government control to sectorisation, privatisation, and back to uncertainty under government control. 2024 January 10, Howard Johnston, “Launched for enthusiasts - now it's for everyone”, in RAIL, number 1000, page 28:
2. (countable) Something uncertain or ambiguous.
   • Despite these uncertainties, Clarke told MPs he was convinced of the need to order trains powered by batteries. He said: "We're calling for a 'no regrets' order of battery trains because we see them always having a future. We see them being fundable, financeable, similar cost to diesel trains, and we know that however much electrification we would aspire to do, there's always going to be at least a third of the network that isn't electrified. 2023 December 27, Philip Haigh, “All eyes are on the DfT as rolling stock concerns deepen”, in RAIL, number 999, page 19:
   • Some uncertainties remain; an especially salient uncertainty is the timing of their return trip.
   • Near-synonym: uncertain (noun)
3. (uncountable) A parameter that measures the dispersion of a range of measured values.

Forms

Antonyms

closure · certainty

Deriveds

cone of uncertainty · corridor of uncertainty · Knightian uncertainty · uncertainty principle · Heisenberg uncertainty principle · uncertainty aversion

Synonyms

uncertain · uncertainness

Translations (63)

ca incertesa (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · da usikkerhed (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · el αβεβαιότητα (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · hi अनिश्चय (something uncertain or ambiguous) · ms ketidakpastian (something uncertain or ambiguous) · cs nejistota (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · hu bizonytalanság (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · tl dikatiyakan (mathematics: a parameter that measures the dispersion) · gl incerteza (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · fr incertitude (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · grc ἀδηλότης (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · ru сомне́ние (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · fi epävarmuus (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · hi संदेह (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · ru неуве́ренность (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · hnn alangan (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · es incerteza (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · ms ketidakpastian (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · sv osäkerhet (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · ru нето́чность (mathematics: a parameter that measures the dispersion) · de Ungewissheit (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · tr muğlaklık (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · hi अनिश्चय (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · bg несигурност (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · la incertum (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · pl niepewność (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · gd mì-chinnt (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · ro incertitudine (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · de Unsicherheit (something uncertain or ambiguous) · uk невпе́вненість (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · pt incerteza (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · es incertidumbre (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · nn uvisse (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · tr belirsizlik (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · it incertezza (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · nl onzekerheid (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · ru неопределённость (mathematics: a parameter that measures the dispersion) · uk неви́значеність (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · ru нея́сность (something uncertain or ambiguous) · tl dikatiyakan (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · th ความไม่แน่นอน (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · ota بللیسزلك (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · es incertinidad (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · be сумнеў (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · ka გაურკვევლობა (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · pt incerteza (something uncertain or ambiguous) · eo necerteco (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · ru неуве́ренность (something uncertain or ambiguous) · be паняверка (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · de Unsicherheit (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · be няўпэўненасць (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · uk непе́вність (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · hi अनिश्चितता (something uncertain or ambiguous) · ko 불확실 (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · hi संशय (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · ru неопределённость (something uncertain or ambiguous) · ro nesiguranță (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · eo malcerteco (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · es incertitud (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · cmn 不确定性 (doubt; the condition of being uncertain) · ko 불확실한 것 (something uncertain or ambiguous) · ru погре́шность (mathematics: a parameter that measures the dispersion) · mi kumukumu (doubt; the condition of being uncertain)