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Validate

v. capable, thoughtful professional

What it means

Meaning 1

To confirm through evidence that something is sound, accurate, or fit for use.

Reach for it when describing a check that tests a method, result, or design

A second laboratory will validate the revised testing method.

Meaning 2

To recognize that a feeling or experience is real and understandable.

Reach for it when showing acceptance of another person's emotional experience without necessarily agreeing with every conclusion

The counselor could validate his frustration without endorsing the accusation.

Words to choose between 8

By register, from playful at the top to literary at the bottom, and by meaning across. Tap a word to see when it fits.
Meaning 1Meaning 2
everyday
warm
professional
formal

Meaning 1: To confirm through evidence that something is sound, accurate, or fit for use.

  • everyday

    test

    Fits when performing the examination matters more than its outcome

    Careful A test can disprove or leave uncertainty; validate implies successful support.

  • professional

    confirm

    Fits when new evidence supports a result already suspected

    Careful Confirm can record agreement without the structured testing implied by validating a method.

  • professional

    verify

    Fits when checking truth or accuracy against evidence is the task

    Careful Verification can check one fact, while validation may ask whether the whole method is fit for its purpose.

  • formal

    substantiate

    Fits when evidence must support a claim under challenge

    Careful Substantiate concerns proof for a claim and is unnatural for validating a tool or process.

Meaning 2: To recognize that a feeling or experience is real and understandable.

  • everyday

    acknowledge

    Fits when simply recognizing a feeling or experience is enough

    Careful Acknowledgment may be neutral and does not always communicate that the reaction makes sense.

  • warm

    affirm

    Fits when supportive recognition strengthens a person's sense of worth

    Careful Affirm can imply approval, whereas validation need not approve behavior or beliefs.

  • warm

    reassure

    Fits when reducing doubt or fear is the intended help

    Careful Reassurance can contradict or minimize a feeling instead of validating it.

  • professional

    recognize

    Fits when naming the reality or importance of an experience matters

    Careful Recognition can remain intellectual and feel emotionally distant.

Opposites 4

  • invalidate
  • disprove
  • dismiss
  • minimize

Common phrases 4

  • validate a method

    The field trial will validate a method for testing water without electricity.

  • validate the findings

    Independent records helped validate the findings from the interviews.

  • validate feelings

    You can validate feelings while still questioning a harmful response.

  • validate an experience

    The apology helped validate an experience that had long been dismissed.

Word family 1

Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Vealhurl, Southern England accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated