recommendation
Americannoun
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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:
We have fewer opportunities to talk to an actual person, which means we have fewer chances to have a laugh or get a recommendation or just be human with each other.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
The findings suggest that protein guidance may be most effective when it takes both age and activity level into account, rather than applying the same recommendation to everyone.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 2, 2026
Their recommendation, one of many, was that the SFA and Scottish Professional Football League start to get serious with stand closures and then stadium closures as a direct consequence of misbehaviour.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Instead, might we suggest an inspiring essay on democracy, or a fun quiz, or a movie recommendation, or even a series of fun pieces on revenge?
From Slate ● Jul. 29, 2026
With a dozen landlubbers whose only recommendation for the sea was that they had failed on land?
From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham
Coach Jose Ruiz always asks Leo Hernandez, the track and field and cross country coach, for recommendations on his athletes as potential flag football players.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
Current public health recommendations generally emphasize reducing sodium as the primary dietary step for lowering blood pressure and protecting heart health.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026
Trading of Replimune stock was halted on Thursday, a regular practice around these panels, where outside experts make recommendations to the FDA about drugs they are considering for approval.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
"We are developing scientific packages of practices for farmers. We have already standardised planting schedules, fertiliser recommendations and growth regulator applications specifically for Mahabaleshwar conditions," he says.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
When Marine Corps headquarters asked for recommendations from their generals in the field about the code talker program, the responses were unanimous.
From "Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two" by Joseph Bruchac
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.
