affirmation

noun

af·​fir·​ma·​tion ˌa-fər-ˈmā-shən 

1

a

: the act of affirming

nodded his head in affirmation

b

: something affirmed : a positive assertion

His memoir is a reflective affirmation of family love.

2

law : a solemn declaration made under the penalties of perjury by a person who conscientiously declines taking an oath

Synonyms

• assertion
• asseveration
• avouchment
• avowal
• claim
• declaration
• insistence
• profession
• protestation

Examples of affirmation in a Sentence

a sworn affirmation that he had never acted as a spy for the enemy

Recent Examples on the Web

Some of that graffiti includes positive affirmations and messages to other people in the homeless community. —Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2024

The shortages of goods conveyed a gut-level affirmation that contemporary life itself had gone haywire, exposing a dark and unsettling truth: No one was in control. —Peter S. Goodman, New York Times, 2 June 2024

The affirmation is a major win for Chevron and Chief Executive Officer Mike Wirth, who sought to secure a stake in the biggest oil discovery of the past decade by acquiring Hess and its 30% interest in a Guyanese field. —Mitchell Ferman, Fortune, 28 May 2024

Related Articles Hereford girls track and field flips over winning 2A state title; Harford Tech, Century girls also impress Those affirmations that Horton leans on? —Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 8 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English affirmacioun, borrowed from Anglo-French affirmation, affermacion, borrowed from Latin affirmātiōn-, affirmātiō, from affirmāre "to affirm" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing affirmation

• gender affirmation surgery
• self-affirmation