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 Packers-Lions game will be available across Fox Broadcasting, on the Fox Sports app, Fox Deportes, Fox One (via subscription or pay-TV provider authentication) and Tubi. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 30 Sep. 2025

Recalling how Vestiaire’s global secondhand luxury fashion platform was started 16 years ago in Paris, Virk spoke of its pillars of fashion curation, trust through authentication, community building and sustainability. —Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 26 Sep. 2025

Check out my guide to setting strong authentication and avoiding scams targeting mobile payments. —Kurt Knutsson May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links., FOXNews.com, 21 Sep. 2025

One of them, Lifeworks-ACS, received at least 14 returns and mailed them to CNBC for authentication. —Gabrielle Fonrouge,paige Tortorelli, CNBC, 19 Sep. 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