confirmations

Confirmations are statements or signs that verify something is true, valid, or final. They can take the form of explicit acknowledgments, documents, or procedural steps that reduce uncertainty after a decision, action, or claim. In everyday life, confirmations confirm appointments, reservations, orders, or itineraries and may arrive by email, text, or digital assistant.

In information systems, confirmations are messages that acknowledge receipt or processing. Transaction confirmations in banking provide an auditable record of a transfer, while delivery or read receipts in messaging indicate status. In distributed ledgers, confirmations (or blocks) are the accepted units that establish finality as more blocks are added. Email systems use delivery and read receipts as confirmations of message handling.

In religion, Confirmation is a rite in several Christian traditions. It typically involves anointing with oil (chrism), laying on of hands, and a prayer for the Holy Spirit. It marks a person’s mature commitment to the faith and often, depending on tradition, strengthens or completes baptismal grace. Requirements, age, and the role of sponsors or godparents vary by denomination; Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican churches treat it as a sacramental act, while many Protestant communities see it as a public affirmation rather than a sacrament.

In science and research, confirmations refer to independent verifications of results or hypotheses, often through replication or additional experiments, contributing to the reliability and accepted status of findings.