assurance
Americannoun
-
assurances
plural
-
a positive declaration intended to give confidence.
He received assurances of support for the project.
-
promise or pledge; guaranty; surety.
He gave his assurance that the job would be done.
-
full confidence; freedom from doubt; certainty.
to act in the assurance of success.
- Antonyms:
- uncertainty
-
freedom from timidity; self-confidence; belief in one's abilities.
She acted with speed and assurance.
- Antonyms:
- uncertainty
-
presumptuous boldness; impudence.
- Synonyms:
- cheek, nerve, impertinence, effrontery
- Antonyms:
- uncertainty
-
Chiefly British. insurance.
noun
-
a statement, assertion, etc, intended to inspire confidence or give encouragement
she was helped by his assurance that she would cope
-
a promise or pledge of support
he gave an assurance of help when needed
-
freedom from doubt; certainty
his assurance about his own superiority infuriated her
-
forwardness; impudence
-
insurance providing for certainties such as death as contrasted with fire or theft
Usage
What does assurance mean? An assurance is a positive promise, pledge, or guarantee. It is intended to dispel the listener’s doubts and give them confidence. When we are worried about something, an assurance from a trusted source can ease our anxieties. If you’re nervous about a volcano erupting, a scientist could give you assurance that it’s not meant to blow for 500 more years. The assurance might help you feel more safe and certain. Example: When Marya’s teacher asked why she hadn’t submitted her assignment, Marya gave an assurance that the essay was on its way.
Synonym Usage
See trust. See confidence.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of assurance
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English ass(e)ura(u)nce, from Middle French ass(e)urance; equivalent to assure + -ance
Explanation
An assurance is a vote of confidence. If you give your friend an assurance that you'll be there, you'd better show up. If you pledge to do something or make a binding commitment to do it, you can use the noun assurance. If the bank is going to loan you money to buy a house, they are going to need some sort of assurance that you will repay the loan in a timely manner. If you have confidence in yourself and your abilities, you can also use assurance to describe that — "The baseball team played with assurance, quickly racking up a seven point lead."
Vocabulary lists containing assurance
Bud, Not Buddy
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Much Ado About Nothing
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Promises, Promises
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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:
State regulators and ratepayers want assurance that a data center requesting infrastructure from a utility will be on the hook on the investment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
The added a range of assurance mechanisms to support the reliability of patient record systems were used including national standards and data quality controls.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
“People want to have so much assurance that the other person is going to say yes before they do anything,” says Grace Lee, a New York City-based dating coach and matchmaker.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
Platforms do not have to use the app but they must use an age assurance tool that checks how old new users are.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
The older boys agreed; but here and there among the little ones was the doubt that required more than rational assurance.
From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
Those assurances have done little to quell international concern.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
Diplomats have issued repeated assurances that Lee isn’t facing the death penalty.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
And it's even harder to imagine a situation where that was not the de facto position even if a team boss had been given assurances they would be left alone.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Khan claimed the practice continued despite the assurances he was allegedly offered, leading him to complain to Hackney Council instead.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
We urgently need an end to these false assurances, to the sugar coating of unpalatable facts.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
