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, confirm, 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; 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

But there appears to be confirmation bias here.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

“Levels above that require confirmation we do not have,” the head of FX Strategy says.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

Many of the governor’s appointees are subject to state Senate confirmation.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

"We need to make sure that we have clear confirmation that the safety of navigation for the ships and the seafarers are being agreed," he told BBC Verify.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

“Didn’t need to. Just sent me a confirmation number. Electronic ticket. All I have to do is turn up at the airport in a month and show ’em my ID, and I’m outta here.”

From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman

Related Words

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