as good as certain

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "as good as certain" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to express a high level of confidence or assurance about something happening or being true. Example: "With all the evidence we have, the outcome of the trial is as good as certain."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

However, England could be third by then should they lose in Ukraine, who prior to that fixture are as good as certain to pick up three points against San Marino on 10 September.

The Guardian - Sport

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

It should stick (if it's not co-opted to describe Mike Mussina fans arguing that his statistics are just as good as those of certain pitchers, like Bunning, already in the Hall of Fame).

The New Yorker

Conclusion: A trained outreach nurse practitioner provided a service that was as good as, and in certain aspects better than, that provided by a hospital outpatient clinic.

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Due to these  algorithmic breakthroughs, the amount of data available, computational power, and the GPU cloud (e.g. Amazon Web Services GPU) machine vision today is about as good as human vision in certain areas.

Huffington Post

The photos are often emblazoned with slogans such as Kate Moss's "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels" and fetishises certain aspects of skinniness, such as jutting hip bones, visible ribs, thigh gaps or indeed the "transformation" itself.

The Guardian - Opinion

There is wine, eventually, and some of someone else's steak, and broccoli, sautéed in what must be a ton of butter and olive oil and garlic, which tastes just as good as mashed potatoes by a certain point in the night.

The New York Times - Food

Paul de Man is in a certain sense as good as Milton".

The New York Times

Cash sitting in a money-market account was as good as thrown away; Zwelish was in certain arcane tech stocks and had also acquired a Motherwell print.

The New Yorker

In fact, never be satisfied with your own stuff at all, until you're certain it's as good as your finite powers can ­enable it to be. 4 Listen to the criticisms and preferences of your trusted "first readers".

The Guardian - Books

"Many of the [open source] server programs are every bit as good as any commercial counterpart, but there are certain areas, like databases, where Linux has not been as strong and where the open source alternatives don't have all the features commercial customers would require.

Forbes

"They worked together on that show to make certain it was as good as it could be right through the final performance," Ritchie said.

Los Angeles Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "as good as certain" when you want to convey a strong sense of confidence about a future event or outcome, acknowledging a minimal, often theoretical, possibility of error.

Common error

Avoid using "as good as certain" when the outcome still involves significant risk or uncertainty. It's best reserved for scenarios where evidence strongly supports a specific result.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "as good as certain" functions as an idiomatic adjective phrase used to modify a noun, indicating a high degree of probability or near certainty. As Ludwig AI confirms, it effectively conveys confidence in a particular outcome.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Science

50%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "as good as certain" is a correct and usable idiomatic expression in English, functioning as an adjective phrase to convey a high degree of confidence or near certainty about an event or outcome. Ludwig AI confirms its validity. While not extremely common, it finds usage across various contexts, particularly in news and media. Alternatives like "virtually certain" or "practically guaranteed" can be used to achieve similar effects, depending on the desired level of formality and emphasis. When using this phrase, ensure that the context genuinely supports a high level of confidence to avoid overstating the certainty of uncertain situations.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

virtually certain

Replaces "as good as" with "virtually", emphasizing the near certainty of the event.

all but certain

Emphasizes that only a small degree of doubt remains.

practically guaranteed

Substitutes the entire phrase with an expression that implies a very high probability of occurrence.

almost guaranteed

Similar to "practically guaranteed", but uses "almost" to indicate a slight possibility of failure.

highly likely

A more formal way of expressing a high probability.

near certainty

Focuses on the state of being nearly certain, rather than the process.

a foregone conclusion

Suggests that the outcome is inevitable and predictable.

assuredly

An adverb that implies confidence in the outcome.

definitely going to happen

A more direct and less idiomatic way of expressing certainty.

in the bag

An informal idiom suggesting that success is already secured.

FAQs

How can I use "as good as certain" in a sentence?

You can use "as good as certain" to express a high level of confidence about a future event. For example: "Given their lead in the polls, their victory is "as good as certain"".

What are some alternatives to "as good as certain"?

Alternatives include "virtually certain", "practically guaranteed", or "highly likely", depending on the specific nuance you want to convey.

Is it more appropriate to say "as good as certain" or "almost certain"?

"As good as certain" and "almost certain" are very similar. "As good as certain" is slightly more idiomatic, while "almost certain" is more straightforward. The choice depends on the desired tone and formality.

When is it inappropriate to use the phrase "as good as certain"?

It's best to avoid "as good as certain" when there is still a significant possibility of an alternative outcome. In such cases, using phrases like "likely" or "probable" may be more accurate.