Confirm: Making Something Certain
To confirm is to establish that something is true, or to make an arrangement definite. It also names a Christian rite marking full membership of a church.
Confirm turns a probability into a certainty. The word contains *firmus*, firm — confirming does not create the fact, it makes an existing one solid, which is why you cannot confirm something that was never claimed.
- To establish as true. *Tests confirmed the diagnosis.*
- To make definite. *Please confirm your booking.*
- To approve formally. *The senate confirmed the appointment.*
- To admit to full church membership. *She was confirmed at fourteen.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | confirm | Confirm by email. |
| Noun | confirmation | A booking confirmation. |
| Adjective | confirmed | A confirmed case. |
| Adjective | confirmatory | Confirmatory tests. |
| Related | affirm | Affirm the principle. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Can you confirm receipt of the documents?Business English — a request for acknowledgement.
- The result confirmed what everyone suspected.Turning suspicion into fact.
- He is a confirmed bachelor.An old phrase for a man settled in not marrying.
Confirmation bias, briefly
- The tendency to notice evidence that supports what you already believe
- And to discount evidence that does not
- It affects experts as much as anyone, which is why science uses blinded methods
- The name comes directly from this word: the bias is towards confirming
From Latin *confirmare*, to strengthen, from *com* and *firmus*, firm. The religious rite carries the same meaning: it confirms promises made on the person's behalf at baptism.
Confirm or affirm?
Confirm establishes that something is true. Affirm states support for something, often without new evidence.
What is confirmation bias?
The habit of seeking and favouring information that supports an existing belief, and overlooking information that challenges it.