confirmation
A Christian rite of passage administering the gift of the Holy Spirit and strengthening a baptized person's commitment to the church; more broadly, formal ratification or verification.
In a religious context, it specifically refers to young adults reaffirming baptismal vows made on their behalf in infancy.
Word relationships
- ratification: 'Ratification' applies strictly to legal or political approval, whereas 'confirmation' carries religious or personal validation.
- affirmation: 'Affirmation' emphasizes personal declaration, whereas 'confirmation' implies an established church rite.
- repudiation: 'Repudiation' means formally rejecting a prior obligation or belief.
Commonly confused with
- affirmation: Confirmation involves an established church liturgy; affirmation can be a non-religious secular statement.
Word family
- confirm (verb): To make firm or administer the rite of confirmation.
- confirmatory (adjective): Serving to confirm or ratify.
Collocations
- receive Confirmation
- Confirmation class
- Confirmation vow
- sacrament of Confirmation
Example sentences
- "At fifteen, James stood before the congregation to receive his Confirmation." Religious Ceremony
- "She had received her confirmation in the spring, wearing a white dress that swept the stone aisle." Literary Citation
Memory hook
Think of making your faith FIRM during Confirmation. Making firm what was pledged before.
When not to use
Do not confuse with a simple email booking confirmation unless using its secular sense of verification.
Fun facts
- In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, this ceremony is called Chrismation and occurs immediately after infant baptism rather than in adolescence.
Related words
Explore more words
reservation, receipt, proof of purchase, verify, certification, verification
Also appears in
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