Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

affirm

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of affirm

1 to state as a fact usually forcefully
  • unwilling to affirm without further study that the painting is an original Rembrandt
Synonyms of affirm

allege, assert, aver, avouch, avow, claim, contend, declare, insist, maintain, profess, protest, purport, warrant
Words Related to affirm

announce, broadcast, proclaim

argue, rationalize, reason

confirm, justify, vindicate

defend, persevere, support, uphold

reaffirm, reassert
Phrases Synonymous with affirm

put forth
Near Antonyms of affirm

abandon

disavow, disclaim, disown, negate, negative, reject, repudiate

challenge, dispute, question

confute, disprove, rebut, refute

contradict, counter
Antonyms of affirm

deny, gainsay
2 to state clearly and strongly
  • our business partner affirmed his trust in us, and we in turn promised not to let him down
Synonyms of affirm

assert, aver, avouch, avow, declare, guarantee, lay down, profess
Words Related to affirm

advance, advertise, boost, plug, promote, publicize

announce, blaze, call, proclaim, pronounce, say

accent, accentuate, emphasize, stress, underline, underscore

advocate, champion, defend, espouse, support, uphold

assure, convince, persuade

explain, justify, rationalize

reaffirm, reassert
Near Antonyms of affirm

minimize, understate

disregard, ignore, neglect, overlook

Synonym Discussion of affirm

assert, declare, affirm, protest, avow mean to state positively usually in anticipation of denial or objection. assert implies stating confidently without need for proof or regard for evidence.
    • asserted that modern music is just noise
declare stresses open or public statement.
    • declared her support for the candidate
affirm implies conviction based on evidence, experience, or faith.
    • affirmed the existence of an afterlife
protest emphasizes affirming in the face of denial or doubt.
    • protested that he really had been misquoted
avow stresses frank declaration and acknowledgment of personal responsibility for what is declared.
    • avowed that all investors would be repaid in full

Learn More about affirm

  1. See words that rhyme with affirm Dictionary: Definition of affirm Spanish Central: Translation of affirm Nglish: Translation of affirm for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of affirm for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up affirm? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments hide comments

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

bower

Listen to the pronounciation of bower

a shady place in a garden or forest

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. exonerate Barr summarizes Mueller report

  2. catamount Vermont enters the Round of 64

  3. mendacious, mendacity George Conway calls Trump a liar

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games