confirmation

[kon-fer-mey-shuhn]

noun

1. an act or instance of confirming, or of establishing someone or something, as by verifying, approving, or corroborating.

   The study is an attempt at the scientific confirmation of previous anecdotal results.

   The nomination and confirmation of this candidate as Court of Appeals Judge is a step in the right direction.

2. Religion.

   1. a rite in some Christian churches, in which baptized individuals profess their faith, are accorded status as full members, and, in some denominations, receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

   2. a solemn ceremony among Reform and certain Conservative Jews, admitting young people to adult membership in the Jewish community after completion of a prescribed course of study.

3. something that confirms, confirm, as a corroborative statement or piece of evidence.

   His birth certificate served as confirmation of his citizenship.

confirmation

/ ˌkɒnfəˈmeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of confirming

2. something that confirms; verification

3. a rite in several Christian churches that confirms a baptized person in his or her faith and admits him or her to full participation in the church

4. (in the philosophy of science) the relationship between an observation and the theory which it supposedly renders more probable Compare hypothetico-deductive

Other Word Forms

• confirmational adjective
• nonconfirmation noun
• preconfirmation noun
• reconfirmation noun
• self-confirmation noun
• superconfirmation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of confirmation¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Old French and Latin confirmātiōn-, stem of confirmātiō; confirm, -ation

Example Sentences

Civil defense crews warned people attempting to return to the north of the enclave from doing so they received confirmation Israeli forces had left.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“I do think it will get resolved over the next few weeks,” he said during his public confirmation hearing before the Senate on Thursday.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Marks resigned from the FDA in March, saying Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, “wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies.”

Read more on Barron's

It was no different on the day of her Senate confirmation hearing, when journalists and social media delighted in noting that seated behind her was her son-in-law, the retired wrestler known as Triple H.

Read more on Salon

However, the parole hearing on Tuesday heard confirmation that he had admitted involvement since being in prison, but denies stabbing Stephen or using a knife.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• acceptance 
• admission 
• affirmation 
• approval 
• authorization 
• consent 
• corroboration 
• endorsement 
• evidence 
• green light 
• passage 
• recognition 
• testimony 
• verification