Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

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.


Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing validation

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:

She would use the system of accounts to create likes on her own posts, hoping to drive engagement with other users and her own feelings of validation and self-worth.

From BBC Aug. 16, 2026

Over time, they turn into an anxious mess, needing validation from the black-box algorithmic number.

From Slate Aug. 11, 2026

“Just by having the hearings, it validates it. It’s a validation tool. ‘If they’re talking about it, it must be real.’

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 31, 2026

Hearing that validation in therapy and from really wonderful subjects helped me get there.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 22, 2026

Velia looked at her twin sister for validation, not grasping the full meaning of what I was getting at.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall

"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

People start scratching their heads a bit more thinking: 'Maybe we are being a bit too conservative here, maybe we are doing too many validations, maybe we can shorten the process here and there.'

From BBC Jun. 27, 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

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training