Synonym Chooser

How does the verb confirm contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of confirm are authenticate, corroborate, substantiate, validate, and verify. While all these words mean "to attest to the truth or validity of something," confirm implies the removing of doubts by an authoritative statement or indisputable fact.

confirmed the reports

When is authenticate a more appropriate choice than confirm?

While the synonyms authenticate and confirm are close in meaning, authenticate implies establishing genuineness by adducing legal or official documents or expert opinion.

handwriting experts authenticated the diaries

When is it sensible to use corroborate instead of confirm?

While in some cases nearly identical to confirm, corroborate suggests the strengthening of what is already partly established.

witnesses corroborated his story

When could substantiate be used to replace confirm?

The synonyms substantiate and confirm are sometimes interchangeable, but substantiate implies the offering of evidence that sustains the contention.

the claims have yet to be substantiated

In what contexts can validate take the place of confirm?

The meanings of validate and confirm largely overlap; however, validate implies establishing validity by authoritative affirmation or by factual proof.

validated the hypothesis by experiments

When would verify be a good substitute for confirm?

In some situations, the words verify and confirm are roughly equivalent. However, verify implies the establishing of correspondence of actual facts or details with those proposed or guessed at.

all statements of fact in the article have been verified

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 confirm Only Cardiff City had seen relegation to League One confirmed, leaving two spots left to be filled. Nick Miller, New York Times, 3 May 2025 During his 12-minute hearing, Brand confirmed his name and address in court, along with his age, 49, the BBC reported. Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 2 May 2025 But officials were not able to confirm if a blown tire was at fault for the crash. Ron Wilkins, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025 Listen, many Gomez fans were skeptical when the singer confirmed her relationship with the prolific music producer back in December 2023. Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 25 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for confirm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confirm
Verb
  • America, meet the Orb: a bold new attempt to verify you’re not a bot — just by looking you in the eye.
    Jennifer Jolly, USA Today, 2 May 2025
  • Almost 82,000 also provided data from activity trackers that allowed researchers to verify their speed.
    Simon Spichak, Health, 2 May 2025
Verb
  • By offering insights that go beyond a simple FICO score, AI can help lenders approve more loans with confidence.
    Naeem Ghauri, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
  • The House followed suit on April 28, approving it 409-2. President Trump is expected to sign the bill into law.
    Savannah Kuchar, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Mills argued the clause blocks the lawsuit because the Federal Tort Claims Act directs federal judges to interpret the merits of this type of case based on state law.
    Bart Jansen, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2025
  • Johnson argued that social media accounts and internet presence should be an intentional reflection of one’s values and identity.
    Eric Wood, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Palestine ratified the treaty in 2015, meaning any crimes committed in Palestinian territories could be party to ICC jurisdiction.
    Meredith Kile, People.com, 29 Apr. 2025
  • His last extension wasn’t ratified until Aug. 13, 2020.
    Matt Barrows, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The list of 20 stations set to receive new fare gates from the four firms has not yet been finalized.
    Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2025
  • Actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who finalized their takeover of the club in 2021, celebrated the victory with excitement, heartfelt emotion and deep pride and passion for the team.
    Mark Weinstein, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • In effect, New York claimed the right to dictate energy policy for all of New England, whether the citizens who actually reside in that region accepted and agreed with New York’s energy policies, or not.
    Daniel Markind, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
  • At what cost? The United States already has this type of agreement with the government of El Salvador, which notably has been accepting Venezuelan nationals and housing them in the country's notorious Terrorism Confinement Center, known as CECOT.
    Erin Mansfield, USA Today, 1 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Confirm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confirm. Accessed 13 May. 2025.

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