recommendation
Americannoun
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recommendations
plural
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an act of recommending.
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a letter or the like recommending a person or thing.
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representation in favor of a person or thing.
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anything that serves to recommend a person or thing, or induce acceptance or favor.
noun
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the act of recommending
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something that recommends, esp a letter presenting someone as suitable for a job, etc
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something that is recommended, such as a course of action
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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing recommendation
CTE Cosmetology (Milady), Vocabulary from Part 1
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Conventions, Writing, and Speaking & Listening, Unit 1
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"Modern Automotive Technology," Vocabulary from Section 7
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
RBC maintains its sector perform recommendation and 335 pence price target on the stock.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
If the FDA agrees with the panel’s recommendation, six of the seven injectable peptides they evaluated will no longer be barred from pharmacy compounding.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
The senate plans to send its recommendation to regents by June.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
No one had died in the attack, but following a jury’s recommendation, Graham sentenced Walters to 92 years in prison.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
“But you applied again, for drawing? About a month ago? I've even got your recommendation letter here from Hiroshi Matsumoto, which was quite impressive.”
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
That concession gets us nowhere in determining the value of their recommendations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Once you have recommendations, hire a qualified contractor with a current state license and insurance and an arborist certified by the International Society of Arboriculture on staff, she advised.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
They also argue that clinicians, guideline panels, and regulatory agencies "should re-evaluate their general recommendations for calcium and vitamin D supplementation in light of current evidence."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026
For people tinkering around the edges, with the goal of feeling stronger and more energetic, the glut of recommendations in here could feel empowering, perhaps like a sturdy reference text.
From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2026
They made some recommendations, and edicts went out that families must start eating together again.
From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
