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   affirm

   /əˈfəːm/

   verb

   • 1. state emphatically or publicly: "he affirmed the country's commitment to peace" Similar declarestateassertaverproclaimpronounceattestswearavowvowguaranteepromisecertifypledgegive one's wordgive an undertakingrare:asseverateOpposite deny
   • ▪ declare one's support for; uphold; defend: "the referendum affirmed the republic's right to secede" Similar upholdsupportdefendmaintainconfirmratifyendorseapprove (of)agree toconsent toassent tosanction
   • ▪ accept or confirm the validity of (a judgement or agreement); ratify: "the Court of Appeal affirmed a decision of the High Court"
   • ▪ make a formal declaration rather than taking an oath: "he refused to take the oath but chose simply to affirm on being admitted to the Privy Council"
   • 2. offer (someone) emotional support or encouragement: "there are five common ways parents fail to affirm their children"
   • ▪ give (life) a heightened sense of value, typically through the experience of something emotionally or spiritually uplifting: "it is a rich and challenging motion picture that both affirms life and emphasizes its fragility"

   Word Origin Middle English (in the sense ‘make firm’): via Old French from Latin affirmare, from ad- ‘to’ + firmus ‘strong’.

   Derivatives

   • 1. affirmer noun

   Scrabble Points: 14

   • A

     1

   • F

     4

   • F

     4

   • I

     1

   • R

     1

   • M

     3

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