authentication

American  

[aw-then-ti-key-shuhn] / ɔˌθɛn tɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of establishing something as genuine or authoritative.

   The requisite authentication was performed on each piece before it was donated to the museum.

2. Also called electronic authentication.  Digital Technology. the act or process of establishing identity and verifying permission to access an electronic device or computer network (often used attributively): biometric authentication;

   password authentication;

   biometric authentication;

   authentication credentials.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• reauthentication
  noun

Etymology

Origin of authentication

First recorded in 1600–20; authenticat(e) ( def. ) + -ion ( def. )

Example Sentences

“In an agentic world, value accrues to the platform that controls user intent, personal context, app access, permissions, identity, authentication, payments, and trust,” said BofA’s senior equity research analyst Wamsi Mohan.

From Barron's • May 26, 2026

Since at least the Obama administration, the U.S. had been largely focused on defensive measures to protect elections, like multifactor authentication and encryption, which make it harder to compromise systems in the first place.

From Salon • May 21, 2026

Regulators should instead embrace tools that address emerging risks, including stronger authentication of communications, improved detection and blocking of fraudulent activity, and clearer disclosure when consumers are interacting with AI systems.

From MarketWatch • May 11, 2026

These include a one-hour lag at the payer's end in account-to-account transactions and additional authentication by a "trusted person" for high-value digital payments by vulnerable sections of society such as elderly people.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026

From now on, wherever he went, he’d be closely trailed by a military aide carrying a forty-five-pound briefcase containing launch authentication codes and sophisticated communications devices, often referred to as the nuclear football.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Related Words

• certification
• verification