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

And then, of course, use strong, unique passwords and multifactor authentication. —Ben Guarino, Scientific American, 12 Sep. 2024

Most notably, Change Healthcare confirmed that a lack of multifactor authentication (MFA) protocols on an application is what left the network vulnerable to attack. —Todd Moore, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024

And in addition to counterfeits becoming harder to identify, crime, like return fraud, is being committed as a result when large department stores do not have the correct authentication technology put in place to protect against it. —Alexandra Pastore, WWD, 14 Aug. 2024

The key signs authentication tokens and is the rough equivalent of a master-key. —Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 9 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

authentic(ate) + -ation

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing authentication

• multifactor authentication
• two-factor authentication