authenticate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to establish as genuine.
- Synonyms:
- substantiate, validate, confirm
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to establish the authorship or origin of conclusively or unquestionably, chiefly by the techniques of scholarship.
to authenticate a painting.
-
to make authoritative or valid.
verb
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to establish as genuine or valid
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to give authority or legal validity to
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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authenticationnoun
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authenticatornoun
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nonauthenticationnoun
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reauthenticateverb (used with object)
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authenticatableadjective
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nonauthenticatedadjective
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self-authenticatingadjective
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unauthenticatedadjective
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well-authenticatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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authenticatesimple
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authenticatessimple
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have authenticatedperfect
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has authenticatedperfect
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am authenticatingprogressive
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are authenticatingprogressive
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is authenticatingprogressive
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have been authenticatingperfect progressive
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has been authenticatingperfect progressive
Past
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authenticatedsimple
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had authenticatedperfect
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was authenticatingprogressive
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were authenticatingprogressive
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had been authenticatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of authenticate
First recorded in 1565–75; from Medieval Latin authenticātus “made authentic” (past participle of authenticāre ). See authentic, -ate 1
Explanation
When you authenticate something, you establish that it’s the real thing. If you authenticate a painting, for example, you’re sure that it's an original work, not a copy. The verb authenticate came into English in the seventeenth century by way of the Latin word authenticat-, meaning “established as valid.” You’ve probably heard it to mean that a valuable item, like a diamond or a rare vase, is genuine. But not everything that has to be authenticated is worth a lot of money. For example, experts authenticate evidence in an investigation and you authenticate your identity to gain access to your email account.
Vocabulary lists containing authenticate
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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 stores could become locations to collect and authenticate items from eBay sellers, for example, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026
"In this study we show how to authenticate a biomarker, verifying that a signal truly comes from life rather than contamination or non-biological chemistry," Shawar adds.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 27, 2026
Companies like Beckett Grading Services and Professional Sports Authenticator, or PSA, which authenticate and grade the quality of collectible sports cards, now do the same with Pokemon cards.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 23, 2026
AFP was not immediately able to authenticate these soundbites.
From Barron's ● Jan. 2, 2026
Geri explained that he needed the director of the Uffizi to authenticate the painting.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
Paul’s card was graded 10 by Professional Sports Authenticators, or PSA, a third-party service that authenticates and grades trading cards and other collectibles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 17, 2026
One of those companies was Quest, the maker of OneLogin software that authenticates employees logging into their work platforms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 25, 2026
It said firms should reassess how their IT help desk "authenticates staff members" before resetting passwords, especially senior employees with access to high-level parts of an IT network.
From BBC ● May 5, 2025
Although a fantastically informative dive that also authenticates much of the movie’s narrative, I do question a serious expose about Oppenheimer using Bill Nye as a science authority source.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 7, 2023
He furnishes copies of records and papers kept in his office, impressed with the seal of his department, and authenticates all proclamations and messages of the President.
From Elements of Civil Government by Peterman, Alexander L.
Around 15 of such hats have been fully authenticated, most of them now held in museum collections, said Parich.
From Barron's ● Mar. 26, 2026
The next day, the open-source research outfit Bellingcat said it had authenticated a video showing a Tomahawk missile strike next to the school in Minab.
From Salon ● Mar. 11, 2026
A long lost painting by Rembrandt has been rediscovered and authenticated by experts, after its whereabouts were unknown for decades.
From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2026
“But it lacks a large-scale authenticated consumer network, consumer brand and the data flywheel that a two-sided network could provide.”
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 24, 2026
I kept my hunch a secret but had the manuscript authenticated by an expert.
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
Many people have become accustomed to using their phones at checkout, authenticating themselves with a fingerprint or their face.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
We did this by reviewing and authenticating thousands of leaked and gathered documents.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2025
The researchers say their dual-mode, ambient and polarized light film has potential value for a wide variety of high-level security applications, like seals for authenticating paper money or ID badges.
From Science Daily ● May 30, 2024
Headed into the 2024 election, every American needs to up to the challenge of authenticating the news that they use to inform how they vote.
From Salon ● May 21, 2024
There are numerous documents and state papers authenticating his acts, his privileges, and his dignities.
From Great Men and Famous Women. Vol. 5 A series of pen and pencil sketches of the lives of more than 200 of the most prominent personages in History by Horne, Charles F. (Charles Francis)
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.
