authenticate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
authenticates,
present (3rd person singular)
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authenticated,
past participle, past
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authenticating
present participle
-
to establish as genuine.
- Synonyms:
- substantiate, validate, confirm
-
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
-
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:
In July, he had dropped off the cards at a company called Professional Sports Authenticator and paid it $8,000 to authenticate and grade them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
However, despite the years spent by Nouzille to authenticate the documents, the Senussi Files have failed to convince him that Libya was responsible.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
Hence the trip to Vigo to see her paternal grandparents for the first time so she can authenticate her ancestry.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 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
Would it be contrary to medical ethics in the HeLa cell’s coming-of-age year to authenticate the name and let He .
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
Key to the burgeoning market are firms like Professional Sports Authenticator, of Santa Ana, which authenticates and appraises cards.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
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
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 authenticates documents across the world and said the Smith counterfeits still cause confusion for experts and collectors.
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2023
If a New Testament citation authenticates an ancient writing, Enoch must be regarded as an inspired book.
From Who Wrote the Bible? : a Book for the People by Washington Gladden
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
It's worth noting that militaries have access to "M-Code" GPS, is a carefully authenticated and encrypted form of the technology that is far more resistant to jamming.
From BBC ● Mar. 9, 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
This technology could potentially be applied to authenticating wine, perfumes or other luxury goods, says Liu of Ainos, which trained its e-nose to differentiate varieties of coffee beans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 2026
We did this by reviewing and authenticating thousands of leaked and gathered documents.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2025
“Above all else though, the program does not allow for authenticating balls in the stands because it is a chain-of-custody and witness-based program.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2024
Rather than authenticating the tag, a better security solution is to authenticate the item itself, Han says.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 19, 2024
If this be true, certainly some rule is necessary for arranging and authenticating these various expressions and results of Christian doctrine.
From An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine by John Henry Cardinal Newman
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