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

Rhon Daguro is the CEO of authID, a leading provider of privacy-first biometric identity authentication solutions. —Rhon Daguro, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025

But there’s no fingerprint sensor for Windows Hello authentication. —Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 3 Sep. 2025

While a University of Florida Athletic Association spokesperson said the current plan isn’t to require entry through facial authentication at any point in the future, Boehm thinks this will be similar to the transition from paper tickets to the current virtual tickets UF requires. —Noah White, Miami Herald, 31 Aug. 2025

Fubo subscribers can also stream ESPN+ matches by using their Fubo login credentials for authentication on the ESPN app. —Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025

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