1
Confirm with evidence
Provide support showing that a claim or finding is accurate.
Example
Independent measurements helped validate the original estimate.
validate
/ˈvælɪdeɪt/ · VAL-ih-daytverb
Support the truth, accuracy, or value of something.
Use validate when evidence or testing establishes that a claim, result, method, or concern is sound.
What validate Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Establish soundness
Test a method, model, or instrument and demonstrate that it works as intended.
Example
The team used field data to validate its climate model.
3
Recognise legitimacy
Acknowledge that an experience, concern, or perspective has genuine value or basis.
Example
The interviews validate residents' concerns about access to clean water.
Use validate Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
A second laboratory repeated the procedure to validate the original team's findings.
The survey helped validate the researchers' central claim.
Larger trials are needed to validate the method across different populations.
Precision Matters
Validate overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
validate
vs.Can establish broader soundness or legitimacy.
verify
Usually checks whether a specific fact or result is correct.
validate
vs.Can confirm methods, models, or concerns as well as claims.
corroborate
Adds independent evidence supporting an account or claim.
validate
vs.Shows that something is sound or accurate.
justify
Provides reasons showing that an action or belief is reasonable.
validate
vs.Depends on evidence or recognised legitimacy.
endorse
Expresses approval or public support.
Test validate in Context
Ask what the independent measurements are doing to the original estimate.
1
Measurements from three independent telescopes closely matched the original calculation, helping to validate the astronomers’ estimate of the planet’s mass.
As used in the text, “validate” most nearly means…