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Meaning & use

proven

adjective, verb·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈpruːvn/
US/ˈpruːvn/

Meanings

  1. adjectivebefore a noun

    Shown by experience or evidence to be effective, true or reliable.

    Grammar: Usually goes before a noun: a proven method, proven results.

    Patterns

    • a proven track record

    The company has a proven record of delivering on time.

    This is a proven method for learning vocabulary.

    He is a proven leader who has turned around three firms.

  2. verbtransitive

    A past participle of prove, meaning shown to be true or correct.

    Grammar: Used after has or have, or in the passive: it has been proven.

    Patterns

    • has proven something
    • be proven to be something

    The theory has been proven by many experiments.

    She has proven that she can handle the pressure.

    The medicine was proven to work in clinical trials.

Word forms

base formprove
past tenseproved

Common combinations

proven track record
She has a proven track record in sales.
proven method
Practice is a proven method for improving.
proven innocent
He was proven innocent in court.
scientifically proven
The benefits are scientifically proven.
proven effective
The treatment is proven effective.

Synonyms and how they differ

established
Established means well accepted over time, but proven means shown by evidence.
tested
Tested says only that something has been tried, while proven says the test showed it works.
reliable
Reliable describes dependability, whereas proven says it has been demonstrated.
verified
Verified means checked and confirmed, often by an authority, which is narrower than proven.

Opposites

unprovenuntested

Word family

prove verb
to show something is true
proof noun
evidence that something is true
unproven adjective
not yet shown to be true or effective
provable adjective
able to be shown to be true

Commonly confused: proven or proved? proven or prove?

proven vs proved

Proved is the past tense and an alternative past participle of prove; proven is the form usually chosen as an adjective before a noun.

proven vs prove

Prove is the base verb; proven is only the participle or adjective.

Practice

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