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 of affirmation

• declaration
• assertion
• insistence

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

Murals layered with short affirmations guide employees toward accountability and positivity without interruption. —Matthew Kayser, Miami Herald, 30 Dec. 2025

In pursuit of scientific rigor, these scholars subscribe, often without fully realizing it, to a conception of ideology as something measurable through the affirmation of isolated beliefs on a survey (that is, mostly in our heads). —Jason Blakely, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025

At the cottage, our protagonists replace the furtive glances and locker-room tension from earlier episodes with quiet intimacy and words of affirmation. —Chris Dong, USA Today, 27 Dec. 2025

Julie Albright, a psychotherapist and digital sociologist, told Fortune that users who develop emotional dependency on AI bots may also develop a reliance on constant, nonjudgmental affirmation and pseudo-connection. —Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 26 Dec. 2025

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

Rhymes for affirmation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation