authenticate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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
-
to establish as genuine or valid
-
to give authority or legal validity to
Other Word Forms
- authenticatable adjective
- authentication noun
- authenticator noun
- nonauthenticated adjective
- nonauthentication noun
- reauthenticate verb (used with object)
- self-authenticating adjective
- unauthenticated adjective
- well-authenticated adjective
Etymology
Origin of authenticate
First recorded in 1565–75; from Medieval Latin authenticātus “made authentic” (past participle of authenticāre ). See authentic, -ate 1
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.
"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
Official media has largely played down the protests but videos have flooded social media, many of which are difficult to authenticate, or have even been manipulated.
From Barron's • Jan. 2, 2026
Passkeys authenticate your identity using a pair of mathematically related values, called keys, one residing with the website or app, the other in your password manager.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 11, 2025
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
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.
