ROGET'S THESAURUS OF ENGLISH WORDS AND PHRASES ...

473. Improbability -- N. improbability, unlikelihood; unfavorable chance, bad chance,
ghost of a chance, little chance, small chance, poor chance, scarcely any chance, no
chance; bare possibility; long odds; incredibility &c 485.
V. be improbable &c adj.; have a small chance &c n..
Adj. improbable, unlikely, contrary to all reasonable expectation; wild [Coll.], far out
[Coll.], out of sight [Coll.], outtasight [Coll.], heavy [Coll.].
rare &c (infrequent) 137; unheard of, inconceivable; unimaginable, inimaginable † ;
incredible &c 485; more than doubtful; strange, bizarre (uncomformable) 83.
Phr. the chances are against; aquila non capit muscas [Lat.]; pedir peras pal olmo [Lat.].
474. Certainty -- N. certainty; necessity &c 601; certitude, surety, assurance; dead
certainty, moral certainty; infallibleness &c adj.; infallibility, reliability; indubitableness,
inevitableness, unquestionableness † .
gospel, scripture, church, pope, court of final appeal; res judicata [Lat.], ultimatum
positiveness; dogmatism, dogmatist, dogmatizer; doctrinaire, bigot, opinionist † , Sir
Oracle; ipse dixit [Lat.].
fact; positive fact, matter of fact; fait accompli [Fr.].
V. be certain &c adj.; stand to reason.
render certain &c adj.; insure, ensure, assure; clinch, make sure; determine, decide, set
at rest, make assurance double sure [Macbeth]; know &c (believe) 484.
dogmatize, lay down the law.
Adj. certain, sure, assured &c v.; solid, well-founded.
unqualified, absolute, positive, determinate, definite, clear, unequivocal, categorical,
unmistakable, decisive, decided, ascertained.
inevitable, unavoidable, avoidless † ; ineluctable.
unerring, infallible; unchangeable &c 150; to be depended on, trustworthy, reliable,
bound.
unimpeachable, undeniable, unquestionable; indisputable, incontestable,
incontrovertible, indubitable; irrefutable &c (proven) 478; conclusive, without power of
appeal.
indubious † ; without doubt, beyond a doubt, without a shade or shadow of doubt,
without question, beyond question; past dispute; clear as day; beyond all question,
beyond all dispute; undoubted, uncontested, unquestioned, undisputed; questionless † ,
doubtless.
authoritative, authentic, official.
sure as fate, sure as death and taxes, sure as a gun.
evident, self-evident, axiomatic; clear, clear as day, clear as the sun at noonday.
Adv. certainly &c adj.; for certain, certes [Lat.], sure, no doubt, doubtless, and no
mistake, flagrante delicto [Lat.], sure enough, to be sure, of course, as a matter of course,
a coup sur, to a certainty; in truth &c (truly) 494; at any rate, at all events; without fail;
coute que coute [Fr.], coute qu'il coute [Fr.]; whatever may happen, if the worst come to
the worst; come what may, happen what may, come what will; sink or swim; rain or
shine.
Phr. cela va sans dire [Fr.]; there is no question, no question, not a shadow of doubt,
there is not a shadow of doubt; the die is cast &c (necessity) 601; facts are stubborn
things [Smollett].