confirmation

American  

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

noun

confirmations plural

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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• confirmations
  plural

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

There was no immediate confirmation of the identities of those who died but the authorities said many of the victims may be foreigners who were in Bedar, a small whitewashed village in Los Gallardos district.

From Barron's • Jul. 10, 2026

The Texas senator similarly held a private meeting with Blanche, a conversation he described simply as “positive,” without elaborating which direction he’s leaning on Blanche’s confirmation.

From Slate • Jul. 9, 2026

The idea was intriguing, but it needed scientific confirmation.

From Science Daily • Jul. 6, 2026

While there has been no official confirmation from the GAA, sources close to the association have said it has been left with no option but to scale back the project.

From BBC • Jul. 3, 2026

I think of how he looked to her for confirmation before he’d agree to help set Beetee’s trap.

From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins

Related Words

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