recommendation
Americannoun
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recommendations
plural
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an act of recommending.
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a letter or the like recommending a person or thing.
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representation in favor of a person or thing.
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anything that serves to recommend a person or thing, or induce acceptance or favor.
noun
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the act of recommending
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something that recommends, esp a letter presenting someone as suitable for a job, etc
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something that is recommended, such as a course of action
Usage
Spelling tips for recommendation The word recommendation is hard to spell because it is tricky to know whether the c, the m, and/or the d is doubled. How to spell recommendation: The easiest way to remember how to spell recommend is to break it into three parts: re - com - mend - ation. You can keep the first three sections in mind with the sentence: "I recommend that you rely commonly on mending." The suffix -ation is used to indicate nouns of action and appears in many other words, like starvation and regulation.
Synonym Usage
See advice.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of recommendation
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English recommendacion, from Medieval Latin recommendātiōn-, stem of recommendātiō, from recommendāt(us) (past participle of recommendāre; see recommend) + -iō -ion
Explanation
If you give someone a recommendation, you're saying, "try this, it's good" or "this is the best way to proceed," or "this person will do a great job." The noun recommendation stems from the Middle Latin word recommend, meaning "praise" or "present as worthy." Policy makers have made a strong recommendation to implement renewable energy initiatives to alleviate our dependence on fossil fuels. It used to be that you carried a letter of recommendation from a prominent person and used it as an introduction to polite society in an unfamiliar place, but nowadays, such a letter simply explains why someone is qualified for a particular job or school.
Vocabulary lists containing recommendation
CTE Cosmetology (Milady), Vocabulary from Part 1
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Conventions, Writing, and Speaking & Listening, Unit 1
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"Modern Automotive Technology," Vocabulary from Section 7
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"The general recommendation is that there should be no demonstrations. Those who want to continue to demonstrate, when they are trade union organisations, will have alternative routes proposed by the prefects," the French president announced.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
That was far below the general recommendation of at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week, Sciamanna explained.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026
However, fewer than one in five older adults meet the recommendation to perform muscle strengthening activities at least twice a week.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026
MS ceases coverage of Hipages with an equal-weight recommendation on the stock, cutting target price by 3.8% to 0.75 Australian dollars.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
Chamberlin claimed later that this attorney had been so angry at having his recommendation rebuffed that he tipped Holmes to the fact the creditors were again leaning toward arrest.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
He is expected to make 27 recommendations to deal with anti-Semitism in schools and colleges, the paper reports, including strengthening guidance on political impartiality - particularly regarding geopolitical issues.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
The analyst’s recommendations, along with the family’s preferences, are supposed to determine weekly hours, and an insurer generally must authorize services.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
"It is too early to make definitive recommendations based on our results, but we are hopeful that a more expansive study will provide further insights."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026
Health Secretary Yvette Cooper said the government would provide a "full response" to the report's recommendations "in due course".
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
When Marine Corps headquarters asked for recommendations from their generals in the field about the code talker program, the responses were unanimous.
From "Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two" by Joseph Bruchac
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
