affirm
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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.
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to express agreement with or commitment to; uphold; support.
to affirm human rights.
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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)
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
Related Words
See declare.
Other Word Forms
- affirmable adjective
- affirmably adverb
- affirmer noun
- affirmingly adverb
- overaffirm verb
- preaffirm verb
- reaffirm verb (used with object)
Etymology
Origin of affirm
First recorded in 1300–50; from Latin affirmāre, equivalent to af- af- + firmāre “to make firm” ( firm 1 ); replacing Middle English a(f)fermen, from Middle French afermer, from Latin
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.
“The history of the court has been to be very protective of American workers and retirees, and to affirm that the fiduciary duty is the very highest duty under the law,” Schlichter said.
The encounter is affirming, uplifting, and fundamentally why you attended the event in the first place.
“Multiple proceedings have now affirmed what we have stated from the outset: Venture Global has fully honored the clear and mutually agreed-upon terms of our long-term contracts without exception,” a company spokesperson told Barron’s.
From Barron's
“Multiple proceedings have now affirmed what we have stated from the outset: Venture Global has fully honored the clear and mutually agreed-upon terms of our long-term contracts without exception,” a company spokesperson told Barron’s.
From Barron's
He understood that stability grows from dignity, not domination, and his decrees affirmed that all peoples and beliefs had a rightful place under the law.
From Salon
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.
