Synonym Chooser

How does the verb confirm contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of confirm are authenticate, corroborate, substantiate, validate, and verify. While all these words mean "to attest to the truth or validity of something," confirm implies the removing of doubts by an authoritative statement or indisputable fact.

confirmed the reports

When is authenticate a more appropriate choice than confirm?

While the synonyms authenticate and confirm are close in meaning, authenticate implies establishing genuineness by adducing legal or official documents or expert opinion.

handwriting experts authenticated the diaries

When is it sensible to use corroborate instead of confirm?

While in some cases nearly identical to confirm, corroborate suggests the strengthening of what is already partly established.

witnesses corroborated his story

When could substantiate be used to replace confirm?

The synonyms substantiate and confirm are sometimes interchangeable, but substantiate implies the offering of evidence that sustains the contention.

the claims have yet to be substantiated

In what contexts can validate take the place of confirm?

The meanings of validate and confirm largely overlap; however, validate implies establishing validity by authoritative affirmation or by factual proof.

validated the hypothesis by experiments

When would verify be a good substitute for confirm?

In some situations, the words verify and confirm are roughly equivalent. However, verify implies the establishing of correspondence of actual facts or details with those proposed or guessed at.

all statements of fact in the article have been verified

Examples of confirm in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Those who knew the teenager shared their sadness in the comments on the USAFA's Instagram post confirming the news of Koonce's death. Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 6 Sep. 2024 Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week claimed Russia had moved 60,000 troops already to Kursk to counter the offensive and open source researchers have confirmed Russian units have moved from other fronts. Patrick Reevell, ABC News, 6 Sep. 2024 Louisville Division of Fire spokesman Donovan Sims confirmed a fire took place at the vacant building, near the Interstate 64 underpass, on Dec. 27. Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 6 Sep. 2024 Deadline has confirmed that Nathan Gary, the president of Annapurna Pictures, is departing after a three-year stint. Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for confirm 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'confirm.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Thesaurus Entries Near confirm

Cite this Entry

“Confirm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confirm. Accessed 20 Sep. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on confirm

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