Do you have certainty? Kyle Amon, Page 6 Certainty n. 1. The fact, quality, or state of being certain: the certainty of death. 2. Something that is clearly established or assured. Syns: certainty, certitude, assurance, conviction. These nouns mean freedom from doubt. Certainty implies a thorough consideration of evidence: "Jealousy ... ends as soon as we pass from suspicion to certainty" (La Rochefoucauld). Certitude is based more on personal belief than on objective facts: "Certitude is not the test of certainty" (Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.). Assurance is a feeling of confidence resulting from subjective experience: "There is no such thing as absolute certainty" (John Stuart Mill). Conviction arises from the vanquishing of doubt: "The supreme hapiness of life is the conviction that we are loved" (Victor Hugo).