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

Lang says to look for designer goods, including jewelry and clothing that come along with authentication receipts. —Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 May 2025

Encryption, authentication protocols and compliance with strict regulations aren’t optional—they’re the foundation. —Gegham Azatyan, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025

However, our study found that only a handful of participants actually used hardware wallets. Mistake 3: Thinking 2-factor authentication is a silver bullet Two-factor authentication, or 2FA, is a standard security mechanism in which two forms of verification are required to access an account. —Mingyi Liu, The Conversation, 8 May 2025

On the front is a 1080p camera with Windows Hello sign-in authentication support, and on the back is a 10-megapixel camera. —Brenda Stolyar, Wired News, 6 May 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