validate

[ val-i-deyt ]

verb (used with object)

, val·i·dat·ed, val·i·dat·ing.

1. to make valid; substantiate; confirm:

   Time validated our suspicions.

   Synonyms: prove, verify, authenticate

   Antonyms: disprove

2. to give legal force to; legalize.
3. to give official sanction, confirmation, or approval to, as elected officials, election procedures, documents, etc.:

   to validate a passport.

validate

/ ˈvælɪˌdeɪt /

verb

1. to confirm or corroborate
2. to give legal force or official confirmation to; declare legally valid

Derived Forms

• ˈvalidatory, adjective
• ˌvaliˈdation, noun

Other Words From

• val·i·da·tion [val-i-, dey, -sh, uh, n] noun
• val·i·da·tor noun
• val·i·da·to·ry [val, -i-d, uh, -tawr-ee, -tohr-ee], adjective
• re·val·i·date verb (used with object) revalidated revalidating
• un·val·i·dat·ed adjective
• un·val·i·dat·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of validate¹

First recorded in 1640–50; from Medieval Latin validātus (past participle of validāre “to make valid”), equivalent to valid- ( valid ) + -ātus past participle suffix ( -ate ¹ )

Example Sentences

In his 18 months on the job, Ratcliffe confirmed every fear about him, using his office to validate several conspiracy theories, many of them about Trump’s political opponents.

From Slate

The photos will also enable researchers to validate climate change models by comparing them to reality.

From Los Angeles Times

Podcasters validate their fears and doubts, cite fallacious research, or more speciously, quote the all-purpose source of “some” or “they” without evidence.

From Salon

Instead of questioning everything, it preaches the virtue of believing in nothing but the confident voices of those who validate their anxieties without offering honest reasons or answers as to why they exist.

From Salon

In short, they found that claims that such paints could reduce heating bills by up to 20% or 25% were impossible to validate.

From BBC

Related Words

• approve
• certify
• confirm
• corroborate
• endorse
• justify
• legalize
• legitimize
• ratify
• substantiate
• verify