confirmation

American  

[kon-fer-mey-shuhn] / ˌkɒn fərˈmeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. an act or instance of confirming, or of establishing someone or something, as by verifying, approving, or corroborating.

   The study is an attempt at the scientific confirmation of previous anecdotal results.

   The nomination and confirmation of this candidate as Court of Appeals Judge is a step in the right direction.

2. Religion.

   1. a rite in some Christian churches, in which baptized individuals profess their faith, are accorded status as full members, and, in some denominations, receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

   2. a solemn ceremony among Reform and certain Conservative Jews, admitting young people to adult membership in the Jewish community after completion of a prescribed course of study.

3. something that confirms, as a corroborative statement or piece of evidence.

   His birth certificate served as confirmation of his citizenship.

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confirmation British  

/ ˌkɒnfəˈmeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of confirming

2. something that confirms; verification

3. a rite in several Christian churches that confirms a baptized person in his or her faith and admits him or her to full participation in the church

4. (in the philosophy of science) the relationship between an observation and the theory which it supposedly renders more probable Compare hypothetico-deductive

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Other Word Forms

• confirmational adjective
• nonconfirmation noun
• preconfirmation noun
• reconfirmation noun
• self-confirmation noun
• superconfirmation noun

Etymology

Origin of confirmation

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Old French and Latin confirmātiōn-, stem of confirmātiō; see confirm, -ation

Explanation

A confirmation provides proof that something is true. An example might be when you receive confirmation that your flight will be on time, or you find out that something you thought might have happened actually did occur. Confirmation is verification or final proof of something. In the church, confirmation is a rite in which a person if awarded full acceptance into — i.e., confirmed in — the religion, usually presented in a ceremony attended by family and friends. You can see how that ties in with the more general definition of substantiation of a fact or assertion. Confirmation is an obvious derivative of the verb confirm.

Example Sentences

Warsh will be pressed about his thoughts on the outlook for interest rates on Tuesday, when the Senate Banking Committee holds a hearing weighing his confirmation as Fed chair.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 18, 2026

Warsh will be pressed on his outlook for rates at his Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

World uses the iris for ID confirmation because it is the most unique part of a person, even more so than a fingerprint.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

Rather, we wait for further confirmation for a completed MVB sell signal, which is not guaranteed to occur.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026

I thought about my own confirmation, last year at St. Agnes.

From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Related Words

• acceptance
• admission
• affirmation
• approval
• authorization
• consent
• corroboration
• endorsement
• evidence
• green light
• passage
• recognition
• testimony
• verification