certeza

See also: certeža and certežä

Portuguese

Etymology

From certo (“certain; sure”) +‎ -eza, from Old Galician-Portuguese certo, from Latin certus (“certain, fixed”).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /seʁˈte.zɐ/ [sehˈte.zɐ]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /seʁˈte.zɐ/ [sehˈte.zɐ]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /seɾˈte.zɐ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /seʁˈte.zɐ/ [seχˈte.zɐ]
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /seɻˈte.zɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /seʁˈte.za/ [sehˈte.za]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /sɨɾˈte.zɐ/

• Audio (Portugal (Porto)):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: cer‧te‧za

Noun

certeza f (plural certezas)

1. (uncountable) certainty (state of being certain)

   Synonym: convicção

   Tenho certeza que isso ocorrerá.

   I’m sure that this will happen.

   (literally, “I have certainty that this will happen.”)

2. something which is certain

   Morte e impostos são as únicas certezas da vida.

   Death and taxes are life’s only certainties.

Derived terms

• com certeza

Related terms

• certo

Interjection

certeza?

1. are you sure?

Interjection

certeza

1. asserting that something is certainly true; for sure

   Synonym: com certeza

   Antonym: sei lá

Further reading

• “certeza”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “certeza”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Etymology

From cierto +‎ -eza.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /θeɾˈteθa/ [θeɾˈt̪e.θa] (Spain, Equatorial Guinea)
• IPA^(key): /seɾˈtesa/ [seɾˈt̪e.sa] (Latin America, Philippines)
• Rhymes: -eθa (Spain, Equatorial Guinea)
• Rhymes: -esa (Latin America, Philippines)
• Syllabification: cer‧te‧za

Noun

certeza f (plural certezas)

1. certainty

   Synonyms: certidumbre, certitud

Usage notes

• Certeza is much more common than its synonyms.

Related terms

• cierto

Further reading

• “certeza”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025