affirm
Americanverb (used with object)
-
affirms,
present (3rd person singular)
-
affirmed,
past participle, past
-
affirming
present participle
-
to state or assert positively; maintain as true.
to affirm one's loyalty to one's country; He affirmed that all was well.
- Synonyms:
- testify, depose, asseverate, aver
- Antonyms:
- deny
-
to confirm or ratify.
The appellate court affirmed the judgment of the lower court.
-
to assert solemnly.
He affirmed his innocence.
-
to express agreement with or commitment to; uphold; support.
to affirm human rights.
-
to support (someone) by giving approval, recognition, or encouragement.
She described the unhappy memory of her father, who had neither disciplined nor affirmed her.
verb (used without object)
-
affirms,
present (3rd person singular)
-
affirmed,
past participle, past
-
affirming
present participle
verb
-
(may take a clause as object) to declare to be true; assert positively
-
to uphold, confirm, or ratify
-
(intr) law to make an affirmation
Synonym Usage
See declare.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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affirmernoun
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overaffirmverb
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preaffirmverb
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reaffirmverb (used with object)
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affirmableadjective
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affirmablyadverb
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affirminglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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affirmsimple
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affirmssimple
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have affirmedperfect
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has affirmedperfect
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am affirmingprogressive
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are affirmingprogressive
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is affirmingprogressive
-
have been affirmingperfect progressive
-
has been affirmingperfect progressive
Past
-
affirmedsimple
-
had affirmedperfect
-
was affirmingprogressive
-
were affirmingprogressive
-
had been affirmingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of affirm
First recorded in 1300–50; from Latin affirmāre, equivalent to af- af- + firmāre “to make firm” ( see firm 1); replacing Middle English a(f)fermen, from Middle French afermer, from Latin
Explanation
To affirm something is to give it a big "YES" or to confirm that it is true. The verb affirm means to answer positively, but it has a more weighty meaning in legal circles. People are asked to swear an oath or affirm that they will tell the truth in a court of law. Lawyers may ask people to affirm facts, and judges may affirm rulings. In these cases, affirm means to verify or attest to the validity of something.
Vocabulary lists containing affirm
Speech and Debate
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"Ad Power," "Without Commercials," and "What's Wrong with Advertising"
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List 1
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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:
Believe it or not, the Associated Press is also seeking to affirm reality.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
But there is another kind of urgency: If her capacity continues to decline, some of these “workaround windows” that require her to appear in person or affirm her own wishes will eventually close entirely.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
The World Cup gives each of us an opportunity to affirm our identities with pride, and Los Angeles throughout history has been the place that has welcomed these noble acts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Advocates are beating back policies that make it a crime to be homeless and fighting to affirm the rights of their homeless neighbors.
From Slate ● Jun. 27, 2026
The stars, the black skies affirm his humanity, his validity as a human being.
From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin
“Frederic Church: Global Artist,” the compact but impressive exhibit now on view in the pristine galleries nestled within Olana, the magnificent home he created in Hudson, N.Y., affirms that assessment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
"I'll go to social media before Google or somewhere else. Everyone is already talking about it," affirms Major.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Pixar affirms this by incorporating a Totoro cameo into “Toy Story 3.”
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
A legal settlement announced this week now affirms that private immigrant detention facilities are subject to California’s workplace safety and health requirements.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
“Then right now we’ll just have to sit tight and hope for the best,” Alyssa affirms for herself.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
And last year, the Colorado Supreme Court affirmed that decision, meaning Boulder’s lawsuit could finally move forward.
From Slate ● Oct. 5, 2026
Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal, holding that a complaint alleging underperformance has to point to a meaningful benchmark—a genuinely comparable investment—before a court will let the case proceed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
"With several lives lost and many injured, the toll remains provisional. The minister offered condolences, affirmed solidarity with families, and ordered assessments of affected schools to ensure learning continuity."
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
Circuit Court affirmed his decision by a 2-1 vote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
At the same time I wondered why my citizenship had to be so loudly affirmed, and I couldn’t imagine why affirming it would really make any difference.
From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston
"When there is suspicion of disproportionate force, there are always judicial investigations," Nuñez said, affirming that the government was "here to protect high school students".
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
After oral arguments in the spring, the three judges issued a complex decision affirming Carter’s finding of discrimination but overruling his order invalidating UCLA’s lease for its baseball stadium.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Russ Kavalhuna, Western Michigan’s president, didn’t participate in the MAC appeal, but released his own statement affirming the conference’s move, calling it an “important action.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
Data from 2025-26 indicated "significantly higher rates of referral for gender affirming surgery... compared with English gender services", said Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
At the same time I wondered why my citizenship had to be so loudly affirmed, and I couldn’t imagine why affirming it would really make any difference.
From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
