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

The order directs the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to strengthen inspection procedures for verifying drivers' English skills and to review commercial driver's license (CDL) authentication, according to excerpts obtained by Breitbart. —Mohammed Soliman, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025

Ensure identity federation solutions (e.g., SAML, OpenID Connect) support hybrid cryptographic models without breaking authentication workflows. —Dino Dimarino, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025

The mobile consulate will be able to issue passports, citizenship cards, identification cards, consular cards, civil registration, exit permits, special powers of attorney, certifications, authentication of copies of documents and survival certificates. —Nwa Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 29 Apr. 2025

In response to the findings, Apple updated the confirmation dialogs in last month’s release of iOS/iPadOS 18.4 to require a user authentication in the form of a PIN or password. —ArsTechnica, 28 Apr. 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