Doubt and Certainty: English Vocabulary List

to let something happen or exist

"This admits no excuse."

"The current situation admits of no further procrastination; we must act now."

to secure, guarantee, or make certain of something

"He cinched the win."

"With his final goal, the star player cinched the victory for his team."

to estimate something by calculating and guessing

"Can you guesstimate the final cost?"

"Without having the exact measurements the contractor had to guesstimate the total amount of materials needed for the construction project."

to hesitate or be dubious about doing something that one thinks might be wrong or immoral

"He scrupled to ask for help."

"The honest businessman would never scruple to deceive his customers because he believed that trust and integrity were the foundation of a successful enterprise."

to come to a conclusion without enough evidence

"I surmise that he is lying."

"From the muddy footprints on the carpet the detective could surmise that the intruder had entered through the back door."

to give good reasons to justify a particular action

"This warrants praise."

"His exceptional performance on the project certainly warrants a significant promotion and a raise."

(of a statement or story) unlikely to be authentic, even though it is widely believed to be true

"The story is apocryphal."

"The story is apocryphal and was probably invented years after the events actually happened."

experiencing confusion

"I am bewildered by the instructions."

"I am bewildered by the instructions and cannot figure out how to assemble this furniture."

without a doubt

"He gave a categorical denial."

"The president issued a categorical denial of the allegations and he stated clearly that he had never met with the foreign officials who were mentioned in the report."

(of a situation, movie, etc.) having an unclear ending that makes it enticing

"The episode was cliffhanging."

"The episode was cliffhanging and ended with the hero falling off a cliff into the water."

convinced that everything one believes in is true and others are wrong

"He has a dogmatic attitude."

"He has a dogmatic attitude and refuses to consider any opinions that differ from his own beliefs."

having two or more possible meanings

"His answer was equivocal."

"His answer was equivocal and did not clearly say yes or no to the question."

acting or talking with hesitation due to uncertainty or lack of confidence

"His speech was halting."

"The nervous student gave a halting presentation because he kept forgetting his lines and he had to pause frequently to look at his notes on the podium."

true in a way that leaves no room for denial or disagreement

"The evidence is incontrovertible."

"The evidence is incontrovertible and proves beyond any doubt that he is guilty of the crime."

considered to be a certain way, though not necessarily confirmed

"He is the reputed leader."

"He is the reputed leader of the gang but the police have not been able to prove it."

unable to decide between two opinions, possibilities, etc.

"His support is wavering."

"His support is wavering and he may decide to vote for the other candidate instead."

the feeling of complete certainty

"He spoke with such certitude that everyone believed him."

"He spoke with complete certitude about the future outcome of the important event."

an idea that is based on guesswork and not facts

"The theory is pure conjecture."

"His entire theory was based on pure conjecture without any solid evidence to support it."

shyness due to a lack of confidence in oneself

"His diffidence prevented him from speaking up in class."

"Her natural diffidence made her hesitate before speaking in front of the large audience yesterday."

a guess that is made according to one's experience or knowledge thus is more likely to be true

"He made an educated guess."

"The scientist made an educated guess about the experiment's outcome based on previous research results."

an unpleasant, sad, or difficult situation

"Poor plight of refugees."

"The poor plight of refugees touched the hearts of many people around the world last year."

a state of uncertainty about what decision to make in a challenging situation

"Moral quandary faced."

"She faced a difficult moral quandary when she had to choose between honesty and loyalty last week."

the lack of clear expression, knowing, describing, or decision

"The vagueness of the instructions confused everyone."

"Some vagueness remains in the contract that needs clarification before signing it safely."

to guess or deduce information using intuition or an inexplicable sense of inner knowledge

"He divined the location of water."

"The ancient priest claimed he could divine the future by studying the patterns of animal entrails and the flight of birds."

to state an opinion, guess, suggestion, etc. even though there are chances of one being wrong

"Do not hazard a guess."

"I wouldn't hazard a guess about the outcome of the election without more information."

clearly true and requiring no explanation

"The earth is round, axiomatic."

"The truth is axiomatic and does not need any proof because everyone already accepts it."

having more than one possible meaning or interpretation

"His answer was ambiguous."

"The ambiguous wording of the contract created uncertainty about the exact terms and conditions for both parties involved."

(of a person) able to make clear, firm decisions quickly, especially in challenging situations

"You need to be decisive."

"She was decisive and made up her mind quickly without second guessing herself which made her an effective leader during the crisis situation."

remaining strong and effective even when facing challenges or difficulties

"The system is robust."

"The system is robust and can handle many users without crashing or slowing down."

a feeling of hopefulness and confidence that makes one remain cheerful, especially in sad or unpleasant situations

"She had buoyancy."

"Despite facing numerous setbacks, her remarkable buoyancy of spirit allowed her to maintain a positive outlook."

something that is assumed to be true or already decided upon before any evidence or arguments are presented

"The election result seemed a foregone conclusion."

"The victory was a foregone conclusion long before the match even started yesterday."