affirmation

American  

[af-er-mey-shuhn] / ˌæf ərˈmeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of affirming; state of being affirmed.

2. the assertion that something exists or is true.

3. something that is affirmed; a statement or proposition that is declared to be true.

4. confirmation or ratification of the truth or validity of a prior judgment, decision, etc.

5. Law. a solemn declaration accepted instead of a statement under oath.

---

affirmation British  

/ ˌæfəˈmeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of affirming or the state of being affirmed

2. a statement of the existence or truth of something; assertion

3. law a solemn declaration permitted on grounds of conscientious objection to taking an oath

---

Other Word Forms

• nonaffirmation noun
• overaffirmation noun
• preaffirmation noun
• reaffirmation noun
• self-affirmation noun

Etymology

Origin of affirmation

First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin affirmātiōn-, stem of affirmātiō, equivalent to affirmāt(us) (past participle of affirmāre affirm ) + -iō -ion

Example Sentences

“Yes,” Mom says, but she says it like a question, rather than an affirmation of fact.

From Literature

It makes compromise difficult and disagreement suspect, shifting the goal from persuasion to affirmation.

From The Wall Street Journal

“You would tell me,” Aunt Tess says again, but this time she doesn’t say it as a question, she says it as an affirmation that she already knows the answer to.

From Literature

“To me,” Mr. Talarico continued, “that is an affirmation in one of our most central stories that creation has to be done with consent. You cannot force someone to create.”

From The Wall Street Journal

I grew to love places like that, places where I could get affirmation for just speaking Mandarin without an accent, where I was still allowed back simply because I didn’t draw attention to myself.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• assertion
• confirmation