Library / English Dictionary

AFFIRM

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts

Example:

The evidence supports the defendant

Synonyms:

affirm; confirm; corroborate; substantiate; support; sustain

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "affirm"):

back; back up (establish as valid or genuine)

vouch (give supporting evidence)

verify (confirm the truth of)

demonstrate; establish; prove; shew; show (establish the validity of something, as by an example, explanation or experiment)

document (support or supply with references)

validate (prove valid; show or confirm the validity of something)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Antonym:

negate (prove negative; show to be false)

Derivation:

affirmable (capable of being affirmed or asserted)

affirmation (a judgment by a higher court that the judgment of a lower court was correct and should stand)

Sense 2

Meaning:

To declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true

Example:

Before God I swear I am innocent

Synonyms:

affirm; assert; aver; avow; swan; swear; verify

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "affirm" is one way to...):

declare (state emphatically and authoritatively)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "affirm"):

hold (assert or affirm)

claim; take (lay claim to; as of an idea)

attest (authenticate, affirm to be true, genuine, or correct, as in an official capacity)

declare (state firmly)

protest (affirm or avow formally or solemnly)

assure; tell (inform positively and with certainty and confidence)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Sentence example:

They affirm that there was a traffic accident

Derivation:

affirmation (a statement asserting the existence or the truth of something)

affirmation (the act of affirming or asserting or stating something)

affirmer (someone who claims to speak the truth)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Say yes to

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "affirm"):

claim (assert or affirm strongly; state to be true or existing)

reaffirm (affirm once again)

confirm; reassert (strengthen or make more firm)

defend; maintain (state or assert)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Derivation:

affirmation (the act of affirming or asserting or stating something)

affirmative; affirmatory (affirming or giving assent)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Thank you for your good word, Fanny, but it is more than I would affirm myself.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

The findings affirm recommendation to consume red meat in moderation, and that a healthy and balanced diet should contain sufficient and varied protein sources, including healthier alternatives to red meat such as fish, tofu and legumes.

(Eating Meat Linked to Higher Risk of Diabetes, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The lander touched down Monday, Nov. 26, near Mars' equator on the western side of a flat, smooth expanse of lava called Elysium Planitia, with a signal affirming a completed landing sequence at 11:52:59 a.m. PST (2:52:59 p.m. EST).

(NASA InSight Lander Arrives on Martian Surface, NASA)

Palliative care affirms life and regards dying as a normal process, neither hastens nor postpones death, provides relief from pain and other distressing symptoms, integrates the psychological and spiritual aspects of patient care, offers a support system to help patients live as actively as possible until death, and offers a support system to help the family cope during the patient's illness and in their own bereavement.

(Hospice Care, NCI Thesaurus)

The findings affirm the guidance from public health professionals to use precautions similar to those for influenza and other respiratory viruses to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2: • Avoid close contact with people who are sick. • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. • Stay home when you are sick. • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.

(New coronavirus stable for hours on surface, National Institutes of Health)

These studies allow us to affirm that the construction of megalithic landscapes is probably one of the most long‑lasting and powerful legacies of past societies and that, for millennia, these monuments were the scene for social interaction and the encounter with supernatural powers.

(The necropolis of El Barranquete in Níjar (Almería), proven to have been used for funerary rituals throughout the Bronze Age, University of Granada)

If 'genius is eternal patience', as Michelangelo affirms, Amy had some claim to the divine attribute, for she persevered in spite of all obstacles, failures, and discouragements, firmly believing that in time she should do something worthy to be called 'high art'.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

“An’ of course the dogs can hike along all day with that contraption behind them,” affirmed a second of the men.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

Norton's another monist—only he affirms naught but spirit.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

How dare you affirm that, Jane Eyre?

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)