confirmation

[kon-fer-mey-shuhn]

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.

confirmation

/ 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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of confirmation¹

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

Example Sentences

There is confirmation, Patel said, that the suspect "had a relationship in Afghanistan with partner forces", before moving to the US.

Read more on BBC

Even after confirmation, nothing is set in stone.

Read more on Salon

US attorneys are nominated by the president and require US Senate confirmation.

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In announcing his confirmation vote, Cassidy said Kennedy pledged that “the CDC will not remove statements on their website pointing out that vaccines do not cause autism.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Ghana has received official confirmation from the United States that Washington has fully removed the 15 percent tariff imposed on the West African nation's cocoa and agricultural exports, its foreign minister announced Monday.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

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