Meaning & use
reaffirm
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To say again, clearly and with confidence, that something is true or that you still support it.
Grammar: Takes an object: reaffirm a commitment, reaffirm that the plan stands.
Patterns
- reaffirm something
- reaffirm that something is true
- reaffirm your commitment to something
The minister reaffirmed her support for the new law.
In his speech, the coach reaffirmed that the team would stay together.
The treaty reaffirmed the border agreed decades earlier.
verbtransitive
To make a belief or feeling stronger by giving fresh proof of it.
Grammar: The subject is often an event: the result reaffirmed my belief.
Patterns
- reaffirm someone's belief
The trip reaffirmed my love of mountain walking.
Her kindness reaffirmed his faith in people.
The study's results reaffirm earlier findings about sleep.
Word forms
| third person singular | reaffirms |
|---|---|
| past tense | reaffirmed |
| past participle | reaffirmed |
| -ing form | reaffirming |
Common combinations
- reaffirm a commitment
- The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to peace.
- reaffirm support
- The board reaffirmed its support for the chief executive.
- reaffirm a belief
- The ceremony reaffirmed their belief in family.
- publicly reaffirm
- He publicly reaffirmed his promise to resign.
- reaffirm a decision
- The court reaffirmed its earlier decision.
Synonyms and how they differ
- reassert
- Reassert often stresses claiming authority or a right again, while reaffirm focuses on confirming something.
- restate
- Restate means only to say again, without the idea of firm commitment that reaffirm has.
- reiterate
- Reiterate is about repeating a point for emphasis, not necessarily confirming a stance.
- confirm
- Confirm can be done once and needs no earlier statement, unlike reaffirm.
Opposites
Word family
- reaffirmation noun
- an act of stating or confirming again
- affirm verb
- to state firmly that something is true
- affirmation noun
- a statement of truth or a positive declaration
- affirmative adjective
- agreeing or saying yes
Commonly confused: reaffirm or reaffirm? reaffirm or reassure?
reaffirm vs reaffirm
Learners often use reaffirm for a first statement, but affirm is the correct choice when nothing was said before.
reaffirm vs reassure
Reassure means to comfort someone and remove their worry, while reaffirm means to restate a position.
Practice
After rumors that the school might close, the principal ____ that classes would continue all year.
Choose one answer.
Reaffirmed means stated again with confidence. Reassured would need an object such as parents, and the others do not fit the sentence.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “reaffirm”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.