Do you know the definition of affirm? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word affirm, including its definition, etymology, usage, example sentences, and more!
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Kevin
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July 26, 2021
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What does the word affirm mean?
According to Collins English Dictionary and the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, the word affirm is a transitive verb or an intransitive verb that means to state that something is true, to confirm or to positively declare. When you affirm something, you make a judgment call that it is true. Affirm is two syllables – af-firm, and the pronunciation of affirm is əfɜrm.
In court and law, this term is used to refer to the oath an authorized magistrate takes when they are sworn in to be a judge. An appellate court might also affirm a judgment of the action of the lower court decision by making a solemn declaration under penalties of perjury. The judgment of another court, a higher court, is often required when the lower court’s ruling is questioned or if new evidence is discovered, the defendant must reaffirm their lack of guilt or another judge must hold a strong belief. This often happens in human rights cases when the racial equality of all peoples is brought into question, or when religious beliefs or another important idea are d. You could affirm your loyalty to a person or country.
There are many other languages that contain words meaning affirm. You might notice that many of these words look and sound similarly to one another. These are called cognates, which are words and phrases that mean the same thing as well as look and sound similar across languages. This often happens when the two words or languages share a common Greek or Latin root or language of origin like Latin or Greek. This list of translations for the word affirm is provided by Word Sense.
- Mandarin: 承认,肯定
- Lithuanian: teigti
- Finnish: vahvistaa
- Maori: whakakoikoia, whakakoia
- Polish: potwierdzać (impf), potwierdzić (pf)
- Latin: dico
- Portuguese: afirmar
- Japanese: 肯定
- Spanish: afirmar
- German: zustimmen, bejahen, bestätigen
- Greek: βεβαιώ, επιβεβαιώνω
- Danish: bejae
What are synonyms and antonyms of affirm?
There are many different words and phrases that someone can use in place of the word affirm. These are called synonyms, which are words and phrases that have the same meaning as another word or phrase. Synonyms are a useful English grammatical device to know. They are an easy way to build your vocabulary, and can help you avoid repeating yourself in conversation and written works. This list of synonyms for the word affirm is provided by Power Thesaurus.
- confirm
- acknowledge
- sanction
- assert
- allege
- verify
- prove
- certify
- profess
- aver
- endorse
- maintain
- bear out
- state
- promise
- insist
- admit
- sustain
- warrant
- testify
- depose
- protest
- avouch
- attest
- ratify
- asseverate
- substantiate
- contend
- corroborate
- hold
- say
- swear
- approve
- claim
- announce
- reaffirm
- proclaim
- swan
- authenticate
- lay claim
- uphold
- pronounce
- avow
- guarantee
- argue
- support
- validate
- assure
- pledge
- declare
- vouch
- remand
There are also numerous different words that have the opposite definition as the word affirm. These opposite words are called antonyms. Antonyms are also useful to know if you are working on expanding your vocabulary. This list of antonyms for the word affirm is also provided by Power Thesaurus.
- controvert
- argue
- falsify
- retract
- confirm
- straddle the fence
- protest
- confute
- claim
- uphold
- attest
- disavow
- resist
- sanction
- pronounce
- corroborate
- give the lie to
- vouch
- recant
- doubt
- debunk
- ratify
- testify
- avouch
- belie
- authenticate
- prove
- disagree
- confound
- proclaim
- dispute
- repudiate
- challenge
- disprove
- disown
- swan
- aver
- depose
- pledgeadeny
- validate
- approve
- invalidate
- declare
- prove false
- say
- negative
- maintain
- admit
- guarantee
- assert
- promise
- disallow
- insist
- call into question
- gainsay
- show to be false
- contest
- support
- reject
- allege
- contradict
- discredit
- endorse
- announce
- refute
- certify
- fight
- avow
- rebut
- nullify
- state
- substantiate
- shoot down in flames
- combat
- swear
- ignore
- sustain
- hold
- verify
- acknowledge
- contend
- shoot down
- blow out of the water
- profess
- disclaim
- counter
- shoot full of holes
- blow sky-high
- negate
- take back
- assure
- reaffirm
- spurn
- revoke
- bear out
- asseverate
- be at odds with
- withstand
- warrant
What is the origin of the word affirm?
According to Etymonline, the word affirm has been used since the c14 Middle English affermen and affirmen. This comes from the Middle French afermer and affermer, Old French afermer and Modern French affirmer. These come from the Latin affirmare/Latin affirmāre and adfirmare, from the prefix as meaning to and the root firmare/firmāre meaning to strength, from the Latin firmus and fermen, from dher in Proto-Indo-European roots. Many different suffixes can be added to the end of the word affirm including er, bly, and ble to make the related words afirmably (adv.) affirmable (adj.) and affirmer (n.).
How can the word affirm be used in a sentence?
The word affirm can be used in many different ways in the English language. Below are a few different examples of affirm.
The recent convert affirmed his dedication to the Bible by being baptized. He had a willingness and a certainty to him.
The choleric gentleman, a philospher named Dean from Iowa affirmed his belief in an alternative vision of human relationships by the ideas of self-determination and the existence of free will.
The court of session noted last week its affirmation of sending the prominent doctors to prison after they were discovered to be contributing to marine pollution with human waste.
It is the duty of parties to affirm that their candidate is true and just, and will preserve the sanctity of our multi-ethnic roots. The one candidate had a beautiful ritual to celebrate our heritage.
Overall, the word affirm means to declare as true or to confirm. This can be used in an official capacity in court.
Sources:
- affirm: meaning, origin, translation | Word Sense
- Affirm synonyms – 2 131 Words and Phrases for Affirm | Power Thesaurus
- Affirm antonyms – 676 Opposites of Affirm | Power Thesaurus
- affirm | Origin and meaning of affirm | Online Etymology Dictionary
- Affirm definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary
