affirm
/əˈfɝm/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.20 in modern English
14
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To agree, verify or concur; to answer positively.
verb
To assert positively; to tell with confidence; to aver; to maintain as true.
verb
To make firm; to confirm, or ratify; especially (law) to assert or confirm, as a judgment, decree, or order, brought before an appellate court for review.
verb
To state under a solemn promise to tell the truth which is considered legally equivalent to an oath, especially of those who have religious or other moral objections to swearing oaths; also solemnly affirm.
Example Sentences
- "She affirmed that she would go when I asked her."
- "Jesus, […] whom Paul affirmed to be alive"
- "However, as anyone who knew Adrian Shooter would affirm, he very rarely took no for an answer."
- "gender-affirming; trans-affirming"
- "They did everything they could to affirm the children's self-confidence."
- "Kate pointed out that these similarities between the various accounts of parents with trans children attracts criticism from those commentators who argue that trans children do not exist or should not be affirmed in their gender."
Etymology
From Middle English affermen, from Old French afermer, affermer, from Latin affirmare, adfirmare (“to present as fixed, aver, affirm”), from ad (“to”) + firmare (“to make firm”), from firmus (“firm”). By surface analysis, af- + firm.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *dʰer-, affermen, afermer, affirmare
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /əˈfɝm/
- British English: /əˈfɜːm/
Inflected Forms
affirms (present, singular)
affirming (participle, present)
affirmed (participle, past)
affirmed (past)
no-table-tags (table tags)
glossary (inflection template)
affirmed (first person, past)
affirmest (archaic, present)
affirmed (past, second person)
affirmedst (archaic, past)
affirmeth (archaic, present)
affirmed (past, singular)