affirming
/əˈfɚ.mɪŋ/
affirming is the present participle and gerund of affirm.
Adjective
affirming (comparative more affirming, superlative most affirming)
- That affirms.
- an affirming smile and approving nod
- Accepting of same-sex/same-gender sexual relationships – or, more broadly, the gender identities, sexual orientations, and sexual relationships of LGBTQ people – on the same terms as those of cisgender, heterosexual people.
- We remain because we are not without hope that the liberating spirit of Christ will make itself known through our insistence upon sharing fully in the life of the church as lesbian and gay Christians. We also stay because of the vital experiences of community with other lesbian, gay, bisexual and...1992, William R. Johnson, “Protestantism and Gay and Lesbian Freedom”, in Betty Berzon, editor, Positively Gay: New Approaches to Gay and Lesbian Life, updated and expanded edition, Berkeley...
- For Paul would readily admit that as a Christian who is gay he knows first-hand what it means to experience the grace of God, divine grace that is received in the context of a welcoming—but not automatically affirming—church.1998, Stanley J. Grenz, Welcoming but Not Affirming: An Evangelical Response to Homosexuality, Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, →ISBN, page xii
- Synonyms:
- open and affirming
Meaning of affirm
Verb
affirm (third-person singular simple present affirms, present participle affirming, simple past and past participle affirmed)
- To agree, verify or concur; to answer positively.
- She affirmed that she would go when I asked her.
- To assert positively; to tell with confidence; to aver; to maintain as true.
- Jesus, […] whom Paul affirmed to be alive1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Acts 25:19
- Synonyms:
- protest
- To support or encourage.
- gender-affirming; trans-affirming
- To make firm; to confirm, or ratify; especially (law) to assert or confirm, as a judgment, decree, or order, brought before an appellate court for review.
- To state under a solemn promise to tell the truth which is considered legally equivalent to an oath, especially of those who have religious or other moral objections to swearing oaths; also solemnly affirm.
Noun
affirming (plural affirmings)
- The act of one who affirms something; an affirmation.
Synonyms of affirming
Forms of affirming
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | affirmings |
| Adjective | |
| comparative | more affirming |
| superlative | most affirming |
Origin of affirming
From Middle English affermynge; equivalent to affirm + -ing.
Words formed from affirming
Phrases with affirming
Questions about affirming
- What does affirming mean?
- Affirming means the act of one who affirms something; an affirmation.
- What is affirming the present participle and gerund of?
- Affirming is the present participle and gerund of affirm.
- What part of speech is affirming?
- Affirming can be a noun or an adjective.
- How do you pronounce affirming?
- Affirming is pronounced /əˈfɚ.mɪŋ/ (US).
- What is the plural of affirming?
- The plural of affirming is affirmings.
Words near affirming in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: affirming (page history and authors); affirm (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-NaomiAmethyst-affirming.wav.
Cite this entry: “affirming.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/affirming. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.