Synonym Chooser

How does the verb corroborate contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of corroborate are authenticate, confirm, substantiate, validate, and verify. While all these words mean "to attest to the truth or validity of something," corroborate suggests the strengthening of what is already partly established.

witnesses corroborated his story

When is it sensible to use authenticate instead of corroborate?

Although the words authenticate and corroborate have much in common, authenticate implies establishing genuineness by adducing legal or official documents or expert opinion.

handwriting experts authenticated the diaries

Where would confirm be a reasonable alternative to corroborate?

The synonyms confirm and corroborate are sometimes interchangeable, but confirm implies the removing of doubts by an authoritative statement or indisputable fact.

confirmed the reports

When is substantiate a more appropriate choice than corroborate?

The meanings of substantiate and corroborate largely overlap; however, substantiate implies the offering of evidence that sustains the contention.

the claims have yet to be substantiated

In what contexts can validate take the place of corroborate?

While in some cases nearly identical to corroborate, validate implies establishing validity by authoritative affirmation or by factual proof.

validated the hypothesis by experiments

When could verify be used to replace corroborate?

In some situations, the words verify and corroborate are roughly equivalent. However, verify implies the establishing of correspondence of actual facts or details with those proposed or guessed at.

all statements of fact in the article have been verified

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of corroborate Laboratory tests may be ordered to rule out other conditions or to corroborate the atopic dermatitis diagnosis by finding other allergic conditions. Susan Bard, Verywell Health, 2 Apr. 2025 Several reporters, including others at CSL, also corroborated what Mullen said to Ellis after the game. Sean Neumann, People.com, 26 Mar. 2025 One of his employees corroborated that Cattelan had his assistants test out bananas taped to a wall at different heights and angles to choose the best combination. Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 7 Apr. 2025 The festival corroborated the incident through an Instagram story. Natalia Cano, Billboard, 6 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for corroborate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for corroborate
Verb
  • But officials were not able to confirm if a blown tire was at fault for the crash.
    Ron Wilkins, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025
  • Listen, many Gomez fans were skeptical when the singer confirmed her relationship with the prolific music producer back in December 2023.
    Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 25 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • As the fireline is constructed, inspected or reinforced, mappers record those details to adjust the containment percentage.
    CA WILDFIRE BOT, Sacbee.com, 19 Apr. 2025
  • That includes carving out meeting-free hours, encouraging asynchronous communication when possible, and reinforcing that deep work matters.
    Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The system can also verify that the individual presenting the document is both physically present and matches the ID photo, all completed remotely in minutes.
    Alonzo Martinez, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
  • The usefulness of those rankings could require months or years to verify, and the AI co-scientist, which is still being evaluated by human scientists, is for now limited to biomedical research.
    Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 25 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Montana is one of 23 states, along with Puerto Rico, that are eligible for the NIH’s Institutional Development Award program, meant to bolster NIH funding in states that historically have received less investment.
    Rae Ellen Bichell and Rachana Pradhan, Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2025
  • The only evidence against defendant [Weinstein] was the complainants' testimony, and the result of the court's rulings ... was to bolster their credibility and diminish defendant's character before the jury.
    Isabella Gomez Sarmiento, NPR, 20 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The anti-Amendment 4 website hosted by the Agency for Health Care Administration led to court challenges from people who argued the state was improperly using its official power, including one case in front of the Florida Supreme Court.
    Ana Ceballos, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2025
  • Few would argue that the tire wear shown last spring and again on Saturday was within reason.
    Jordan Bianchi, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The first three days of the season took care of such foolish rookie thoughts and proved to be a humbling, but learning, experience.
    Thomas Weddle, Outdoor Life, 17 Apr. 2025
  • Jarred Kelenic, picked up in trade from the Seattle Mariners in the 2023-2024 offseason, has proven to be a liability as well, starting the season with an anemic slash line of .146./.239/.244.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Corroborate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/corroborate. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.

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