recommendation

American  

[rek-uh-men-dey-shuhn, -muhn-] / ˌrɛk ə mɛnˈdeɪ ʃən, -mən- /

noun

recommendations plural

1. an act of recommending.

2. a letter or the like recommending a person or thing.

3. representation in favor of a person or thing.

4. anything that serves to recommend a person or thing, or induce acceptance or favor.

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recommendation British  

/ ˌrɛkəmɛnˈdeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of recommending

2. something that recommends, esp a letter presenting someone as suitable for a job, etc

3. something that is recommended, such as a course of action

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Usage

Spelling tips for recommendation The word recommendation is hard to spell because it is tricky to know whether the c, the m, and/or the d is doubled. How to spell recommendation: The easiest way to remember how to spell recommend is to break it into three parts: re - com - mend - ation. You can keep the first three sections in mind with the sentence: "I recommend that you rely commonly on mending." The suffix -ation is used to indicate nouns of action and appears in many other words, like starvation and regulation.

Synonym Usage

See advice.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prerecommendation
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• recommendations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of recommendation

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English recommendacion, from Medieval Latin recommendātiōn-, stem of recommendātiō, from recommendāt(us) (past participle of recommendāre; see recommend) + -iō -ion

Explanation

If you give someone a recommendation, you're saying, "try this, it's good" or "this is the best way to proceed," or "this person will do a great job." The noun recommendation stems from the Middle Latin word recommend, meaning "praise" or "present as worthy." Policy makers have made a strong recommendation to implement renewable energy initiatives to alleviate our dependence on fossil fuels. It used to be that you carried a letter of recommendation from a prominent person and used it as an introduction to polite society in an unfamiliar place, but nowadays, such a letter simply explains why someone is qualified for a particular job or school.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

recommendation recommendations

MS keeps an overweight recommendation on the stock and lifts its target price 3.8% to 273.00 Australian dollars.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Lamont’s recommendation therefore, is to exercise patience.”IPOs are like bananas: they need to ripen before they’re ready to eat.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

Many medical experts have warned against that recommendation, citing a lack of evidence.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

But this year, the Tokyo government recommendation has made it more socially acceptable.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

I just casually sort of asked for a letter of recommendation from one of the most powerful women in the media.

From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner

The FDA does not have to follow the panel's recommendations, but often does.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

The FDA generally follows advisory committee recommendations but has no obligation to do so.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

The recommendations are not binding, but the FDA historically has given them significant weight.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

Traditionally, before an FDA advisory committee meeting, the regulator’s staff make their own recommendations.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

The ANC denounced the report of the Tomlinson Commission, despite some of its more liberal recommendations.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

• charge
• endorsement
• guidance
• instruction
• judgment
• order
• proposal
• proposition
• sanction
• suggestion
• support