documentation

noun

doc·​u·​men·​ta·​tion ˌdä-kyə-mən-ˈtā-shən 

-ˌmen-, 

-kyü-

1

: the act or an instance of furnishing or authenticating with documents

2

a

: the provision of documents in substantiation

also : documentary evidence

b(1)

: the use of historical documents

(2)

: conformity to historical or objective facts

(3)

: the provision of footnotes, appendices, or addenda referring to or containing documentary evidence

3

: information science

4

: the usually printed instructions, comments, and information for using a particular piece or system of computer software or hardware

documentational

ˌdä-kyə-mən-ˈtā-sh(ə-)nəl 

-ˌmen-, 

-kyü-

adjective

Synonyms of documentation

• evidence
• proof
• testimony

Examples of documentation in a Sentence

You cannot visit the country unless you have the proper documentation.

Keep your receipts as documentation of your purchases.

Can you provide documentation of the claims you're making?

The program's documentation is poorly written.

Recent Examples on the Web

Architectural decision records, design review minutes and post-implementation documentation are drying up, despite the same or higher rate of architectural change. — Kevin Cushnie, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

According to available budget documentation, Space Force requested nearly $460 million in Fiscal Year 2027 to develop Meadowlands and the support and training needed to field it. — Brett Tingley, Space.com, 8 July 2026

For some advanced cases, Anthropic’s Claude Opus model may be required, but for a lower-stakes use case like documentation creation, the lower-cost Claude Haiku is sufficient. — John Kell, Fortune, 8 July 2026

Large multisite studies show that ambient AI documentation tools reduce documentation time and clinician burnout, not through magic but by returning cognitive space to clinicians. — Frantz M. Berthaud, STAT, 7 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1884, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for documentation

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration

Kids Definition

documentation

noun

doc·​u·​men·​ta·​tion ˌdäk-yə-mən-ˈtā-shən 

-ˌmen-

1

: the providing of documents as proof

2

: evidence in the form of documents

3

: written instructions for using a computer or computer program