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Meaning & use

words of affirmation

noun·Academic

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UK/ˌwɜːdz əv ˌæfəˈmeɪʃn/
US/ˌwɜːrdz əv ˌæfərˈmeɪʃn/

Meanings

  1. nounplural

    Spoken or written statements that praise, encourage or reassure someone and make them feel valued.

    Grammar: Plural in form and takes a plural verb: words of affirmation are important.

    Patterns

    • words of affirmation for someone

    Her partner offers words of affirmation every morning before work.

    Children thrive on words of affirmation from parents and teachers.

    He is not good at words of affirmation, but he shows love through actions.

  2. nounpluralspecialist

    In relationship advice, one of five ways of showing and feeling love, based on being told warmly that you matter.

    Grammar: Often treated as a name for a love language: her love language is words of affirmation.

    Patterns

    • love language is words of affirmation

    My love language is words of affirmation, so a kind note means a lot.

    The counselor explained that words of affirmation matter greatly to some people.

    Quiz results showed that words of affirmation ranked first for him.

Common combinations

give words of affirmation
Managers should give words of affirmation to new staff.
receive words of affirmation
She likes to receive words of affirmation after a hard day.
need words of affirmation
Some children need words of affirmation to feel confident.
a love language of words of affirmation
He has a love language of words of affirmation.
daily words of affirmation
Daily words of affirmation improved her mood.

Synonyms and how they differ

encouragement
Encouragement gives someone the confidence to keep going, while words of affirmation focus on telling someone they are valued.
praise
Praise is approval of something done, whereas affirmation can be about who a person is.
compliments
Compliments are brief remarks about a quality, but words of affirmation can be longer and more emotional.
reassurance
Reassurance eases worry, while words of affirmation build a positive feeling about oneself.

Opposites

criticism

Word family

affirm verb
To state that something is true or to support someone.
affirmation noun
A statement of support or belief.
affirmative adjective
Expressing agreement or yes.
affirmatively adverb
In a way that says yes.

Commonly confused: words of affirmation or confirmation?

words of affirmation vs confirmation

Confirmation means proving or agreeing that something is true, while affirmation here means emotional support.

Practice

A friend who needs ______ would feel most loved if you regularly told them how proud you are of them.

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