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

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

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

Speaking shortly after the court ruling was announced on Wednesday, Emma Lovell's husband Lee said it was "some validation that Emma's life did matter," adding that his eldest daughter was "pretty pleased" with the result.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

"This has been a model validation, and hopefully it's just the first of many more observations to come," he said.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026

First rule of self-defense is: Don’t ask your attacker for validation.

From "Maybe He Just Likes You" by Barbara Dee

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

DeAngelis said state laws that restrict the dispensing of medications used for abortions have forced the company to start the validations.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 21, 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