proven

/ ˈpruːvən /

verb

1. See prove
   a past participle of prove
2. See not proven
   See not proven

adjective

1. tried; tested

   a proven method

Derived Forms

• ˈprovenly, adverb

Example Sentences

Speculation raged that Duke agreed not to run as part of the deal, though it was never proven.

From The Daily Beast

Critics accused Foster of giving Duke a payoff to stay out of the race; that was never proven.

From The Daily Beast

“I am being proven right about massive vaccinations” he tweeted in September.

From The Daily Beast

The North Korean hackers have proven to be a persistent adversary, if not the most skilled one.

From The Daily Beast

But these must be proven under a signed and sworn statement and judged reasonable by the DOH.

From The Daily Beast

That there is a distinct field for such a book is proven by the unexpectedly large demand for the first edition.

From Project Gutenberg

Though he lacked the highest moral courage, his physical bravery was proven on many a stricken field from Valladolid to Warsaw.

From Project Gutenberg

It is well known that these declarations of science are mere speculations, plausible indeed, but nowhere proven to be true.

From Project Gutenberg

I should have remembered the consequences to the Countess if it were proven that she had been championing a fraud.

From Project Gutenberg

But there are other ways of explaining all these things, and perhaps it may be proven that there are better ways.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• accurate
• authentic
• binding
• compelling
• conclusive
• credible
• good
• lawful
• legal
• legitimate
• logical
• original
• persuasive
• solid
• true
• well-founded

Proven Vs. Proved

What’s the difference between proven and proved?

Proven and proved are both acceptable past participle forms of the verb prove. This means they can both be used in constructions that are classified as present perfect (as in I have proven or I have proved) or past perfect (as in I had proven or I had proved).

In these cases, these past participle forms are paired with a form of the helping verb (auxiliary verb) has. However, they can also be used in passive constructions that don’t use a helping verb, as in It was proven or It was proved.

While proved can also be used as the simple past tense form of prove, as in You proved me wrong, proven cannot (for example, it would be ungrammatical to say You proven me wrong).

Though both words can technically be used as adjectives, proven is far more commonly used this way, as in a proven method or a proven fact. 

Here’s an example of proven and proved used correctly in the same sentence.

Example: This study has proved that it often takes a long period of time for things that have been scientifically proven to be accepted as proven facts by a majority of people.

Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between proven and proved.

Quiz yourself on proven vs. proved!

Would proven or proved be more likely to be used in the following sentence?

It is a _____ fact that the earth is round.