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

This allowed the actor to break and inspect traffic and access authentication material such as Oauth tokens after completing the multifactor challenge. —Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 8 Apr. 2026

ANALOGr has shifted into a full-service authentication, insurance, and advisory resource for high-value artist estates. —Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 6 Apr. 2026

That can mean gaining multiple footholds, altering authentication settings or gaining access via third parties. —William Akoto, The Conversation, 2 Apr. 2026

Many of the third-party services that handle the uploading of new music on streaming platforms, like DistroKid and TuneCore, lack robust authentication processes to prevent impersonation of existing artists. —Andrew R. Chow, Time, 27 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

authentic(ate) + -ation

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing authentication

• multifactor authentication
• two-factor authentication

Rhymes for authentication

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration