assurance
Assurance (noun) means a confident promise or statement meant to remove doubt. Example: “He gave his assurance that the deadline would be met.”
How to use assurance
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA confident promise, or the feeling of confidence itself; in British English, also a term for insurance.
British English traditionally distinguishes "life assurance" (a policy that will definitely pay out eventually) from general "insurance" — American English tends to use "insurance" for both.
Word forms
assurances plural
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
He gave his _____ that the deadline would be met.
Etymology
From Old French asseürance, from asseürer ("to assure"), from Latin ad- plus securus ("safe, secure").
Synonyms
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Rhymes for assurance
See all rhymes for assurance →Frequently asked questions
What does “assurance” mean?
The word “assurance” means a confident promise or statement meant to remove doubt. In plain terms, a confident promise, or the feeling of confidence itself; in British English, also a term for insurance.
How do you pronounce “assurance”?
“Assurance” is pronounced uh-SHAW-ruhns (/əˈʃʊɹəns/ in IPA).
How do you use “assurance” in a sentence?
Here is “assurance” used in a sentence: “He gave his assurance that the deadline would be met.”
What part of speech is “assurance”?
“Assurance” is a noun.
Where does the word “assurance” come from?
The word “assurance” comes from Latin. From Old French asseürance, from asseürer ("to assure"), from Latin ad- plus securus ("safe, secure").
Is “assurance” a common word?
“Assurance” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.
How many meanings does “assurance” have?
“Assurance” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a confident promise or statement meant to remove doubt.
What is the difference between assurance and insurance?
In British English, assurance is used specifically for life insurance, referring to a policy that guarantees a payout because the insured event, death, is certain to happen eventually. Insurance covers events that may or may not occur, such as fire or theft, making assurance a narrower, older term still used in the life-cover industry.
What is the difference between assurance and confidence?
Assurance can refer to a confident promise given to someone else to remove their doubt, or to a person's own inner self-assured certainty. Confidence usually describes only the internal feeling, whereas assurance can also describe the external act of reassuring someone.
Why do British companies use the word assurance instead of insurance?
British insurers traditionally use assurance for life cover because the event being covered, death, is certain rather than merely possible, unlike car or home insurance. This distinction is largely historical and industry-specific, and the terms are sometimes used loosely today.