uncertainty

CEFRB2

/ʌnˈsɜːtənti/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

01
noun
The state of being unsure about something.
02
noun
Extra detail
A parameter that measures the dispersion of a range of measured values.

Examples

The evidence left no room for uncertainty.
There is considerable uncertainty about the company's future.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses: 4
Parts of speech: 1
Citations: 5
Synonyms: 1

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

Something uncertain or ambiguous.
Doubt; the condition of being uncertain or without conviction.

More examples

In context

I feel the uncertainty of life.
“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.
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

Quick test

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Question 1 · Quick check

The blank about the test results caused her to lose sleep at night.

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Citations

The word in print, with each source given in full.

“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 5...
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
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
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

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Origin

noun

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

Deep Dive

noun

More examples

Related

Quick test

The blank— about the test results caused her to lose sleep at night.

Nearby

Origin

noun

The blank about the test results caused her to lose sleep at night.