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tr.v. con·firmed, con·firm·ing, con·firms 1. a. To support or establish the certainty or validity of; verify: confirm a rumor. b. To reaffirm the establishment of (a reservation or advance arrangement). 2. To make firmer; strengthen: Working on the campaign confirmed her intention to go into politics. 3. To make valid or binding by a formal or legal act; ratify. 4. To administer the religious rite of confirmation to. [Middle English confirmen, from Old French confermer, from Latin cōnfirmāre : com-, intensive pref.; see COM- + firmāre, to strengthen (from firmus, strong; see dher- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots).] con·firm′a·bili·ty n. con·firma·ble adj. con·firma·to′ry (-fûrmə-tôr′ē) adj. con·firmer n. Synonyms: confirm, corroborate, substantiate, authenticate, validate, verify These verbs mean to establish or support the truth, accuracy, or genuineness of something. Confirm implies the establishment of certainty or conviction: The information confirmed our worst suspicions. To corroborate something is to strengthen or uphold the evidence that supports it: The witness is expected to corroborate the plaintiff's testimony. To substantiate is to establish by presenting solid or reliable evidence: "What I shall say can be substantiated by the sworn testimony of witnesses" (Mark Twain). To authenticate something is to establish its genuineness, as by expert testimony or documentary proof: Never purchase an antique before it has been authenticated. Validate refers to establishing the validity of something, such as a theory, claim, or judgment: The divorce validated my parents' original objection to the marriage. Verify implies proving by comparison with an original or with established fact: The bank refused to cash the check until the signature was verified. |
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