ratified
Americanadjective
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ratified
Explanation
If something is considered ratified, it has been officially approved. When a constitutional amendment is voted into law, it is said to be ratified, or formally accepted. The first known use of ratified in English occurred in the 14th Century. It comes from the Medieval Latin ratificāre, which meant "to confirm or approve." The word ratified is somewhat formal, and is officially used in government proceedings or for contracts or treaties. Still, the idea of something being confirmed or endorsed carries through in Viennese Editor Henry Anatole Grunwald's observation that "Home is one's birthplace, ratified by memory."
Vocabulary lists containing ratified
Vocabulary from the Constitution of the United States
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Dear Martin
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Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice
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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.
MAL was one of four blood group systems ratified during the period covered by the organization's 2026 terminology report, alongside ER, CD36 and ATP11C.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
Women couldn’t vote until the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
Workers at “World of Warcraft” video game developer Blizzard Entertainment have ratified union contracts after two years of bargaining.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
In a statement on social media, Alalshikh thanked those at Derby County for their involvement in the proposed deal, but suggested the time it took to be ratified meant he had to withdraw.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Tennessee had ratified the Nineteenth Amendment, which would now become part of the US Constitution.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
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.
