incertitude

noun

in·​cer·​ti·​tude (ˌ)in-ˈsər-tə-ˌtüd How to pronounce incertitude (audio)
-ˌtyüd
a
: absence of assurance or confidence : doubt
b
: the quality or state of being unstable or insecure

Examples of incertitude in a Sentence

a growing incertitude about the honesty of the housekeeper they had just hired
Recent Examples on the Web And yet the actor spent much of a recent conversation candidly admitting to ambivalence and incertitude. New York Times, 27 May 2021 In an offseason of inactivity and incertitude, Bloom’s marquee move will be hiring a new manager. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 15 Jan. 2020 But underneath the skepticism, something else nagged at me: the sense that my incertitude was a metastasis of our jittery, gaslit world, where baseline reality is increasingly in dispute. New York Times, 27 Aug. 2019 The difficulty for me in pinning the city down geographically is reflected in a broader ideological incertitude; a current questioning of the state’s identity and place. Marley Marius, Vogue, 23 Nov. 2018 Like him, these TPS recipients will now how to live in incertitude. Fabienne Josaphat, Teen Vogue, 11 Dec. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'incertitude.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French, from Late Latin incertitudo, from Latin in- + Late Latin certitudo certitude

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of incertitude was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near incertitude

Cite this Entry

“Incertitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incertitude. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

incertitude

noun
in·​cer·​ti·​tude (ˈ)in-ˈsərt-ə-ˌt(y)üd How to pronounce incertitude (audio)
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