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

Biometric authentication, such as Face ID or fingerprint recognition, generally offers stronger protection against opportunistic thieves because there’s no passcode for someone nearby to observe. — Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 26 July 2026

Without authentication, branding itself becomes easier to imitate. — Scott Hambuchen, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026

Businesses use it generally for employee login verification, password resets, remote access authentication and to allow privileged access. — Justin Zacks, CNBC, 21 July 2026

The model was initially blocked from accessing the backend, but then found a way to obfuscate its authentication token, preventing an OpenAI scanner from stopping the access. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 20 July 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