ratified
Americanadjective
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of ratified
Explanation
If something is considered ratified, it has been officially approved. When a constitutional amendment is voted into law, it is said to be ratified, or formally accepted. The first known use of ratified in English occurred in the 14th Century. It comes from the Medieval Latin ratificāre, which meant "to confirm or approve." The word ratified is somewhat formal, and is officially used in government proceedings or for contracts or treaties. Still, the idea of something being confirmed or endorsed carries through in Viennese Editor Henry Anatole Grunwald's observation that "Home is one's birthplace, ratified by memory."
Vocabulary lists containing ratified
Vocabulary from the Constitution of the United States
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Dear Martin
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Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The deal must still be ratified in a vote of the plant’s roughly 970 hourly workers, which isn’t guaranteed to succeed.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026
SAG-AFTRA ratified its contract last week, the Writers Guild approved its deal back in April, and the DGA has similarly landed on a new contract, after nearly a month of negotiations.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
The agreement will be "automatically ratified" if approved by a majority of voters, according to the union's lawyer.
From Barron's • May 26, 2026
The last important amendment adopted, the 26th, which lowered the voting age to 18, was ratified 55 years ago.
From Salon • May 18, 2026
The president cannot force the passage of constitutional amendments, which must be passed by two-thirds of both houses of Congress and ratified by three-quarters of the state legislatures.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
