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In 1639, Scottish poet William Drummond responded to the politics of his day with a cheeky set of new laws, including one stipulating that "no man wear a ... periwig, unless he have a testimonial from a town-clerk, that he is either bald, sickly, or asham'd of white hairs." Testimonials take different forms, but always, like in Drummond's facetious law, they provide affirmation or evidence. (Testimonial traces to Latin testimonium, meaning "evidence" or "witness.") In the 19th century, testimonial developed a new use, referring to a tribute—that is, a gift presented as a public expression of appreciation. Today, testimonial is most often used to refer to a statement—such as one posted on any number of websites devoted to consumer reviews—that endorses a product or service.
Examples of testimonial in a Sentence
Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Family members, friends, and neighbors turned out, holding signs and sharing testimonials; some of them posted direct appeals to Bukele, the Salvadoran President, on social media.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Jesse Hassenger, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
Brands are building reusable templates with emotionally engaging hooks, testimonial overlays and localized calls to action that can be adapted quickly.
—Manuel MacHado, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for testimonial
Cite this Entry
“Testimonial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/testimonial. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
testimonial
1 of 2 adjective
testimonial
2 of 2 noun
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