Affirm vs Confirm

“Affirm” is a transitive verb. A transitive verb means a verb that needs a direct subject along with one or more objects. These verbs are used for contrasting intransitive verbs, verbs,do not have objects.

For Example,

She carried the luggage.
In this sentence luggage is the direct object of carried.
Affirm means,

To validate, to state positively. For example, she affirmed her innocence.
It also means to assert as valid. For example, when it is used in a judgment or used in a decree, like, the decision was affirmed by a lower as well as higher court.
It also means, to express someone’s dedication towards someone or something .For example, they affirm their loyalty to the nation.

The adjective of affirm is affirmable, the noun of affirm is affirmance. The synonyms for affirm are, claim, avouch, assert, allege, declare, insist, purport, warrant Etc. Antonyms of affirm are deny and gainsay.

Confirm is also a transitive verb. Confirm means,

To ratify, to give approval to something or somebody. The word, confirm, removes all doubts by an authoritative statement or by fact which is indisputable. For example, the tests confirmed that she did not have any infection left. Confirm has been used here to ratify, that there is no doubt that any infection is left in her body.

To strengthen, to make something, or some opinion, firmer. For example, confirming someone’s resolve. Like, she confirmed that she would be the best in her class. It is a resolve and the person is strengthening it.

It also means, give assurance or give the validity, or support the truth about something or somebody. For example, she confirmed the rumor that she was signing a movie based on an epic. In this example, the news about a certain person is validated to be true by the person herself.

The noun for confirm is confirmability, the adjective for confirm is confirmable. Synonyms of confirm are, argue, vindicate, attest, bear, authenticate, certify, corroborate, verify. Etc. Antonyms for confirm are, disprove, refute, rebut.

Summary

1.Confirm and affirm, both are transitive verbs but are used differently. Their meanings are different and they cannot, in general be interchanged. They have different meanings, different synonyms and different antonyms.

2.Affirm means, to validate or state positively, to assert as valid and to express someone’s dedication; confirm means, to ratify, to strengthen, and to give assurance.

3.It has been seen that confirm is used for both negative and positive sentences; whereas affirm is mainly positive.

4.The difference can be explained by two sentences;

The receptionist confirmed the hotel reservations.

and,

Serving in the defense services affirms your loyalty to the nation.

We cannot interchange the words confirm and affirm in either of the sentences.

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