authentication

noun

au·​then·​ti·​ca·​tion ə-ˌthen-ti-ˈkā-shən 

ȯ-

plural authentications

: an act, process, or method of showing something (such as an identity, a piece of art, or a financial transaction) to be real, true, or genuine : the act or process of authenticating something

Historically, the authentication of art fell to connoisseurs …

—Colette Bancroft

Encryption and decryption, combined with user authentication, ensure that only intended recipients read the messages.

—Sal Ricciardi

Mostly, notaries have to be adept at the authentication arts. In an era of multiple-personality disorder, cross-dressing, sex-change surgery and bogus IDs, people aren't always who they appear to be. On the notary public rests the responsibility to verify a person's true identity and attest to it.

—Colette Bancroft

Giving users a way to prove that they're being harassed with, say, a screenshot or some other form of authentication could help Twitter catch bad actors, even after they've covered their tracks.

—Issie Lapowsky

—often used before another noun

authentication codes

authentication techniques

authentication keys

Examples of authentication in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While apps are a much stronger method of using 2FA for most people, and SMS codes are still better than no 2FA protection, attackers can still bypass this authentication layer. —Davey Winder, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024

The user creates the key pair after proving their identity to the website using an existing authentication method, typically a password. —Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 30 Dec. 2024

Denim Tears took actions to protect its brand by adopting EON’s digital identities for on-product authentication. —Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 30 Dec. 2024

This data will be used to create a synthetic version of your voice for real-time translation on Ai Pin and for authentication purposes. —Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 27 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

authentic(ate) + -ation

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing authentication

• multifactor authentication
• two-factor authentication