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:
MS keeps an underweight recommendation on the stock and lowers its target price on the stock by 3.2% to 30.50 Australian dollars.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
The leadership doesn’t have to follow the recommendation of the committee but traditionally does so.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Many medical experts have warned against that recommendation, citing a lack of evidence.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
The Brooklyn show was his 25th after he discovered them in the late ‘90s from a recommendation on the Get Up Kids’ website.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
He has been reading the Vercors—he has read Le Silence de la Mer, The Silence of the Sea—the French Resistance tract, at my recommendation!
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
According to the researchers, this difference adds support to recommendations that parents limit how many ultra-processed foods toddlers consume.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026
Event 3, “To All My Teachers,” dove into how his mentors and peers brought their emotion into recommendations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Currently Baroness Louise Casey is not expected to give her final recommendations until 2028, but Burnham wants to bring her schedule forward.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Leslie Vooris shares some recommendations for elevating your drinking experience by investing in fancy glassware.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
A frequent visitor to the Library of Congress, Garfield asked the librarians for book recommendations, which he borrowed or purchased to expand his knowledge of history, philosophy, and other subjects.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
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.
