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:
Nvidia’s earnings call later this month could give Wall Street and investors “critically needed assurance on its go-forward role in vendor financing,” Arya said, which eats into its free cash flow.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
"I have Sir Isaac Newton's personal assurance that it did indeed hit the moon, there's no way for it to have escaped," Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist and space analyst, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
The prosecution said unregistered children's homes operate without oversight, meaning children who are placed there have no assurance of "safe or suitable care".
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
It also helps that the characters are drawn with precision and nuance, allowing the actors to shape their performances with assurance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
“Miss Smith!—message to Miss Smith!—What could she possibly mean!”—And he repeated her words with such assurance of accent, such boastful pretence of amazement, that she could not help replying with quickness,
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
Hengli has said it complies with relevant regulations in the regions where it operates, has never engaged in any trade with Iran and that its suppliers have provided similar assurances.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
The supplier of the Royal Navy's 20 new K3 sea drones, Kraken, said it was given assurances about security.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
The company also introduced a new model for long-term agreements in March, calling these strategic customer agreements, or SCAs, that can improve its visibility into demand and offer customers some assurances of supply.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
"These assurances included a range of commitments on future investment in the UK, maintaining the distinct editorial identities of key services and the editorial independence of news," she said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
That said, Dasch refused to reveal more to Traynor before receiving certain assurances.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
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.
