Confirmatory

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /kənˈfɜː.mə.tə.ɹi/

Definitions

1. Providing evidence or support that strengthens a claim or assertion
2. Designed to validate or uphold previously stated information or viewpoints
3. Intended to provide proof or reassurance that supports an earlier statement

Etymology: "Confirmatory" is built from "confirm" and the suffix "-ory," which marks something that serves a function. That suffix passed through French from Latin "-orius," so the whole word means "serving to make firm." The root is a physical idea. Latin "confirmare" combined "con-," an intensifier, with "firmare," to make firm, from "firmus," meaning solid or steady. To confirm something was first to strengthen or establish it. Only later did the verb come to mean verifying a fact or ratifying an agreement, so a confirmatory statement is one that makes an earlier claim firmer by adding support.

Synonyms: affirmative, validating, substantiating

Antonyms: disconfirmatory, negating