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Showing results for recommendation. Search instead for recommend purchasing.
Synonyms

recommendation

American  
[rek-uh-men-dey-shuhn, -muhn-] / ˌrɛk ə mɛnˈdeɪ ʃən, -mən- /

noun

  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.

Related Words

See advice.

Other Word Forms

  • prerecommendation noun

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; 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.

The majority of those supplyimng estimates to FactSet have a buy recommendation and the mean target price, before today’s release and any potential upgrades, was €1426, roughly 10% above current levels.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026

The stock is up 17% since our recommendation.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

The government accepted a recommendation from the independent pay review body that all doctors, including resident doctors, should get a 3.5% pay rise from April.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

And when she pressed him further, he made a recommendation.

From Salon • Apr. 7, 2026

On the recommendation of Robert Boyle, the German-born Henry Oldenburg got the first job and Robert Hooke the second.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin