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Synonyms

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.


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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing recommendation

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:

Paul, the committee's chairman, has indicated he intends to send the panel's recommendation straight to the Justice Department, which can decide whether to take the case.

From Barron's Aug. 6, 2026

Foreign Affairs Minister Ronald Lamola said that his department had submitted a recommendation to parliament and the president's office for new protocols for former heads of state during foreign trips.

From BBC Aug. 5, 2026

Citi cuts its recommendation on the stock to neutral from buy, saying planned investments will hit earnings in the near term and support revenue growth only in the long term.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 5, 2026

In 2022, bestselling writer Isaac Fitzgerald, who recently released the anticipated “American Rambler: Walking the Trail of Johnny Appleseed,” witnessed the power of a Jeselnik recommendation.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 5, 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

In his ruling, New Mexico Judge Bryan Biedscheid also noted that teenagers are particularly susceptible to features that are designed to boost engagement such as autoplay, infinite scrolling, like counts, push notifications and algorithmic recommendations.

From Barron's Aug. 7, 2026

She still praised computing facilities themselves as a “really good economic tool” and noted that the Qualified Data Center Task Force was working to outline recommendations on how PGC should approach hyperscale centers going forward.

From Slate Aug. 6, 2026

While operators are learning to trust the AI’s recommendations, the change management effort required for the project hasn’t been easy, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 5, 2026

They said the mayor had backed recommendations from the London AI and Jobs Taskforce to help employers adopt AI responsibly and support workers through the transition.

From BBC Aug. 5, 2026

Outside, as I’m dropping off the food, the grandparents’ jokes and laughter rise, along with grumbling about medical dietary recommendations.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

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