verb

affirm

uh-FURM

verb

To state something confidently and firmly as true.

"He affirmed that he had never seen the document before."

"She affirmed her commitment to the project despite the setbacks."

(law) To uphold or confirm a lower court’s decision on appeal.

"The appeals court affirmed the original ruling."

"The judge affirmed the sentence handed down by the lower court."

How to Use Affirm

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo say something is definitely true, or, in law, to formally uphold a previous decision.

Common pairings

affirm a decision affirm one’s belief

Word Forms

affirmed past tense, affirm plural, affirmed plural, affirms singular, affirm singular, affirmed singular, affirmest singular, affirmedst singular, affirmeth singular

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He _____ that he had never seen the document before.

Etymology

From Old French afermer, from Latin affirmare, "to make firm" — built from ad- plus firmus, "firm."

Synonyms

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validate

Antonyms

disaffirm deny repudiate invalidate

Related Words

abandon choose pay repeal deny confirm assent confess

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