proven

/ ˈpruːvən /

verb

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

adjective

1. tried; tested

   a proven method

Derived Forms

• ˈprovenly, adverb

Example Sentences

If there’s any good news, the only person who has proven able to consistently stop Trump is Trump himself.

From Salon

The organisation will consider whether to revoke an award for "proven dishonesty, and the very rare instance of a winner being convicted of a serious criminal offence resulting in a prison sentence".

From BBC

This time, he has a wealth of prospective candidates with proven track records of supporting him and after eight years, Trump loyalists are the Republican establishment.

From BBC

There were 42 proven cases of assault or attempted assault.

From BBC

In their first nine games, the Chargers have proven they can beat teams they should beat.

From Los Angeles Times

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.