Synonym Chooser

How is the word affirm distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of affirm are assert, avow, declare, and protest. While all these words mean "to state positively usually in anticipation of denial or objection," affirm implies conviction based on evidence, experience, or faith.

affirmed the existence of an afterlife

When would assert be a good substitute for affirm?

While in some cases nearly identical to affirm, assert implies stating confidently without need for proof or regard for evidence.

asserted that modern music is just noise

When might avow be a better fit than affirm?

Although the words avow and affirm have much in common, avow stresses frank declaration and acknowledgment of personal responsibility for what is declared.

avowed that all investors would be repaid in full

When can declare be used instead of affirm?

While the synonyms declare and affirm are close in meaning, declare stresses open or public statement.

declared her support for the candidate

When is it sensible to use protest instead of affirm?

The words protest and affirm are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, protest emphasizes affirming in the face of denial or doubt.

protested that he really had been misquoted

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of affirm Her message was both affirming and inspiring. Essence, 20 Oct. 2025 In September, Congress passed the Internal Security Act, which affirmed the State Department’s right to seize citizen’s passports. Time, 20 Oct. 2025 Also, Chapman and the SBC Executive Committee were in a standoff with New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary over the seminary’s refusal to affirm a constitutional measure that most other entities affirmed. Liam Adams, Nashville Tennessean, 20 Oct. 2025 Scripture consistently affirms God’s justice, mercy, and defense of the oppressed. Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 19 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for affirm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for affirm
Verb
  • Daniels insisted the impact of the shutdown on air traffic controllers was not just insular and would continue to impact the aviation sector and broader American economy.
    Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2025
  • But the question, as Stephanopoulos kept insisting, was not about whether this rose to the level of criminality.
    Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • One was pronounced dead at the scene and the other was declared deceased after being taken to a local hospital, per the outlets.
    Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
  • In 1993 it was declared a historic landmark by the City and County of Denver’s Preservation Commission, which has helped anchor it to Grant Street even as other historic buildings have fallen around it, some replaced with apartment high-rises.
    John Wenzel, Denver Post, 19 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Wendy was allegedly seen wearing one of the diamond rings in a later social media post, authorities alleged.
    Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Dunbar sued the company in 2022, alleging that the production failed to accommodate his belief in the tenets of the Congregation of Universal Wisdom, which disapproves of vaccines and other medical interventions.
    Gene Maddaus, Variety, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Pritzker has been trying to debunk claims that Chicago is an out-of-control hellhole; to assert in court that the federal government has no right to send in federal troops; and to discredit the tactics by immigration agents to arrest migrants in his state’s streets and businesses.
    Ben Smith, semafor.com, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Scholar Mary Jane Edwards is one who asserts the book’s primacy.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In the memoir, Federline claimed that he was awarded $20,000 per month in child support for their two sons.
    Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Could the novel claim the title of the first Canadian novel when Canada wasn’t even Canada yet?
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The insults came after Duffy made a series of public appearances to proclaim NASA's intention of reopening a contract with SpaceX for a moon lander for its upcoming Artemis III mission.
    Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Nevertheless, in the due course of time Truman became as much a fixture to Finney County, Kansas, as are the roadside signs proclaiming its many virtues.
    Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Raw eggs in the shell not maintained at 7°C (45°F) or below (walk-in cooler).
    Gege Reed, Louisville Courier Journal, 24 Oct. 2025
  • This, the medical profession maintains, is the stuff of fiction.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Each member of the Sony Columbia group took it in turn to introduce themselves, and everyone professed their love of working on the release of Django Unchained for Sony Columbia Pictures.
    Jay Glennie, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Matt Rhule professed his love for living and working in Nebraska and trying to return the Cornhuskers to the upper echelon of college football.
    Eric Olson, Denver Post, 13 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Affirm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/affirm. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on affirm

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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