affirm
Americanverb (used with object)
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to state or assert positively; maintain as true.
to affirm one's loyalty to one's country; He affirmed that all was well.
- Synonyms:
- testify, depose, asseverate, aver
- Antonyms:
- deny
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to confirm or ratify.
The appellate court affirmed the judgment of the lower court.
-
to assert solemnly.
He affirmed his innocence.
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to express agreement with or commitment to; uphold; support.
to affirm human rights.
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to support (someone) by giving approval, recognition, or encouragement.
She described the unhappy memory of her father, who had neither disciplined nor affirmed her.
verb (used without object)
verb
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(may take a clause as object) to declare to be true; assert positively
-
to uphold, confirm, or ratify
-
(intr) law to make an affirmation
Synonym Usage
See declare.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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affirmernoun
-
overaffirmverb
-
preaffirmverb
-
reaffirmverb (used with object)
-
affirmableadjective
-
affirmablyadverb
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affirminglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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affirmsimple
-
affirmssimple
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have affirmedperfect
-
has affirmedperfect
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am affirmingprogressive
-
are affirmingprogressive
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is affirmingprogressive
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have been affirmingperfect progressive
-
has been affirmingperfect progressive
Past
-
affirmedsimple
-
had affirmedperfect
-
was affirmingprogressive
-
were affirmingprogressive
-
had been affirmingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of affirm
First recorded in 1300–50; from Latin affirmāre, equivalent to af- af- + firmāre “to make firm” ( see firm 1); replacing Middle English a(f)fermen, from Middle French afermer, from Latin
Explanation
To affirm something is to give it a big "YES" or to confirm that it is true. The verb affirm means to answer positively, but it has a more weighty meaning in legal circles. People are asked to swear an oath or affirm that they will tell the truth in a court of law. Lawyers may ask people to affirm facts, and judges may affirm rulings. In these cases, affirm means to verify or attest to the validity of something.
Vocabulary lists containing affirm
Speech and Debate
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"Ad Power," "Without Commercials," and "What's Wrong with Advertising"
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This Week In Culture: Current Events Vocab for October 3–9, 2020
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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:
In the language of European diplomacy, leaders took turns to both affirm and avoid the commitment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
Advocates are beating back policies that make it a crime to be homeless and fighting to affirm the rights of their homeless neighbors.
From Slate ● Jun. 27, 2026
County, the Civilian Oversight Commission has said the March ruling, AB 847 and Measure R combine to affirm its subpoena powers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
"In a time of growing technological and global fragmentation, this spotlight underscores Europe's ambition to affirm its sovereignty and take the lead in innovation," they said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
It has now been thinned and I am testing it here to affirm that it is acceptable for writing.
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
Pixar affirms this by incorporating a Totoro cameo into “Toy Story 3.”
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
S&P affirms Indonesia’s BBB long-term sovereign credit rating, and expects the government to keep its fiscal deficit below the legal ceiling of 3% of GDP.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
“The 14th Amendment affirms the ancient and fundamental rule of citizenship by birth within the territory,” the court said then.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
Caroll's attorney, Roberta Kaplan, said in a statement that the Supreme Court's decision "affirms once and for all the jury's unanimous verdict that President Donald J Trump sexually assaulted and defamed E Jean Carroll".
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
At the same time the sacrament of the Mass affirms ‘the perpetual contemporaneity of The Passion’ and celebrates the ‘marriage of time present with time past’.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
I was really lucky that so many subjects were so kind to me and affirmed I wasn’t my grandfather and that I didn’t need to carry historical or generational burdens.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Looking ahead, the company expects third-quarter EPS of $2 to $2.50, compared with the current FactSet consensus of $2.03, and affirmed its full-year EPS guidance range of $6.50 to $7.50.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026
The company affirmed its full-year outlook for adjusted earnings between $11.20 and $11.90 a share.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Several times during his tenure, including as recently as 2025, current Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has publicly affirmed Juneteenth and Texas’ role in it.
From Salon ● Jun. 19, 2026
Jerome affirmed and accepted me unconditionally, without demanding explanations.
From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry
Though marvelously affirming for film fans, this is not a sustainable business plan.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Ali Munshi said she recognizes her daughter’s success as a natural outcome of her family and community affirming and encouraging her from an early age.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
Humphrey’s held Congress could prevent the president from firing the heads of these agencies without good cause, affirming a tradition that reached back to the early days of the republic.
From Slate ● Jun. 29, 2026
RAND: We have some new experiments, not written up yet, where AI is either affirming, neutral or condescending.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 24, 2026
In Miserere mei he repeatedly causes the flow of the music to come to rest on cadences, affirming its centre of gravity.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
