authentication

noun

au·​then·​ti·​ca·​tion ə-ˌthen-ti-ˈkā-shən 

ȯ-

plural authentications

: an act, process, or method of showing something (such as an identity, a piece of art, or a financial transaction) to be real, true, or genuine : the act or process of authenticating something

Historically, the authentication of art fell to connoisseurs …

—Colette Bancroft

Encryption and decryption, combined with user authentication, ensure that only intended recipients read the messages.

—Sal Ricciardi

Mostly, notaries have to be adept at the authentication arts. In an era of multiple-personality disorder, cross-dressing, sex-change surgery and bogus IDs, people aren't always who they appear to be. On the notary public rests the responsibility to verify a person's true identity and attest to it.

—Colette Bancroft

Giving users a way to prove that they're being harassed with, say, a screenshot or some other form of authentication could help Twitter catch bad actors, even after they've covered their tracks.

—Issie Lapowsky

—often used before another noun

authentication codes

authentication techniques

authentication keys

Examples of authentication in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Tamblyn said there are safeguards in place to prevent accidental triggering, including multifactor authentication. —Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, The Verge, 15 May 2024

In Kentucky, Kelli Godwin had issues verifying her Real ID at two different airports when TSA authentication technology failed to match the photo on her ID with her face, according to Fox19. —Mariyam Muhammad, The Enquirer, 14 May 2024

Fees charged by the Secretary of State include $20 for processing each apostille document, plus a $6 special handling fee for each public official’s authentication signature. —Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 May 2024

In the Change Healthcare cyberattack earlier this year, hackers entered a server that lacked multifactor authentication, a basic form of security. —John Hanna, Fortune, 10 May 2024

While California officials say their additional layers of authentication have not noticeably affected enrollment numbers, the state's recent enrollment growth has been slower than in states served by healthcare.gov. —Julie Appleby, NPR, 7 May 2024

Use multi-factor authentication Most major websites now support multi-factor or two-step authentication, which requires not only a username and password but additional assurances that a user is the rightful account holder. —Brian Fung, CNN, 13 Apr. 2024

In a press briefing, Eric Goldstein, CISA’s Executive Assistant Director for Cybersecurity, noted that federal agencies could have exposed authentication details in the emails to Microsoft to troubleshoot an IT issue, or to address a software bug. —Michael Kan, PCMAG, 11 Apr. 2024

Kohler and other auction executives can’t rely solely on sports leagues to provide authentication of memorabilia that customers want to buy and sell. —Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

authentic(ate) + -ation

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing authentication

• multifactor authentication
• two-factor authentication