validation

American  

[val-i-dey-shuhn] / ˌvæl ɪˈdeɪ ʃən /

noun

validations plural

1. the act of confirming something as true or correct: You will be prompted to enter your new password a second time for validation.

   The new method is very promising but requires validation through further testing.

   You will be prompted to enter your new password a second time for validation.

2. the act of officially or legally certifying or approving something.

   The proposal will be prioritized and put into action after it undergoes validation by the government.

3. the act of affirming a person, or their ideas, feelings, actions, etc., as acceptable and worthy.

   Recognition and validation of minority cultures by classroom teachers is crucial to student wellbeing and success.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonvalidation
  noun
• revalidation
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• validations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of validation

valid(ate) ( def. ) + -ation ( def. )

Explanation

Validation is making sure that something is true. Even if you know you're a great poet, you may still long for the validation of being awarded a literary prize or having a volume of your poems published by a respected press. Your winning lottery ticket may require validation — lottery officials have to check it to make sure it's not counterfeit and that you really do have the winning numbers. The word validation is formed from the Latin word for "strong," validus, and validation makes something strong. You may claim that you've danced more tango turns than anyone else in the history of the world, but you'll have to wait for someone from Guinness World Records to give your claim validation.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

validation validations

Buying a fund after it goes up is the natural thing to do; it feels good, because the rising price feels like validation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

“The limiting factor for expansion is really rigorous validation, making sure things are completely safe,” Musk said on a call with investors in April.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026

At the Bad Homburg Open also this month, she received the ultimate validation: an invitation to play doubles with seven-time singles major winner Venus Williams.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

It’s no wonder that theater etiquette has declined when so many people are turning to their obsequious chatbots for validation of their worst impulses.

From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026

“I bet it’s against our rights or something,” Rawiya suggested, then looked around the group for validation.

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro

Swinney was asked repeatedly during the BBC interview whether the hospital had received a full set of safety validations for every ward and unit, a question that opposition parties have also been asking.

From BBC ● Mar. 8, 2026

"Without experimental validations as yet, we know the community will be skeptical about this very non-mainstream prediction," Ruan said.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 28, 2023

One might also ponder the moral incongruity of Downey embracing an Oscar nomination for a performance designed to skewer such validations of reprehensible acts committed in the name of exercising one's craft.

From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2023

Once these validations were complete, Mendel applied the pollen from a plant with violet flowers to the stigma of a plant with white flowers.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

Their thinly veiled condescension, their false validations irritated her.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Related Words

• acceptance
• affirmation
• authorization
• corroboration
• endorsement
• proof
• recognition
• verification