assurance

/əˈʃʊrəns/
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Confidence created by a promise, belief, review, policy, or legal act, ranging from calm certainty to formal guarantees and specialized professional uses.

Examples

  • The witness spoke with the assurance of someone telling the truth.
  • The warranty offered some assurance that the repair would last.
  • In this clause, assurance means the instrument of transfer.
  • British forms still use assurance where American forms say life insurance.
  • The board asked for independent assurance over the new controls.

Similar words

confirmation
commitment
pledge
insurance
coverage
review
verification
promise
undertaking
self-possession

Meanings

Promise or reassurance

noun
everyday
neutral
A promise, statement, or sign meant to make someone feel sure that something is true, safe, or likely to happen.

Examples

  • The minister gave repeated assurances that the water was safe.
  • I accepted the plan only after receiving her written assurance.
  • The warranty offered some assurance that the repair would last.
  • Parents wanted clear assurances before the school reopened.
  • His calm phone call was the assurance she needed.
  • There is no assurance that the deal will close on Friday.

Similar words

Confidence or self-possession

noun
personal
neutral
Calm certainty in belief or manner, often shown as poise, and sometimes shaded toward overbold presumption.

Examples

  • She handled the difficult interview with quiet assurance.
  • Years of practice gave his playing new assurance.
  • The witness spoke with the assurance of someone telling the truth.
  • His assurance became irritating when he ignored every warning.
  • The sermon focused on the believer's assurance of salvation.
  • She walked onto the stage with surprising assurance.

Similar words

Checking that builds trust

noun
professional
technical
Planned testing, review, or independent evaluation that gives confidence that information, controls, products, or services meet stated requirements.

Examples

  • The factory strengthened its quality assurance process.
  • External assurance gave investors more confidence in the emissions report.
  • The hospital's assurance framework covered safety checks and audits.
  • Software assurance work began before the first release.
  • The board asked for independent assurance over the new controls.
  • Identity assurance standards help services decide whether a credential can be trusted.

Similar words

Life insurance

noun
insurance
neutral
Chiefly British insurance, especially life cover, that pays when death occurs or when an agreed period ends.

Examples

  • The bank required a life assurance policy for the loan.
  • Her assurance policy matured after twenty years.
  • The adviser compared term assurance with whole-of-life cover.
  • Monthly assurance premiums were deducted from his salary.
  • The family received the assurance payout after his death.
  • British forms still use assurance where American forms say life insurance.

Similar words

Etymology

From Middle English assurance, from Old French asseurance, meaning promise, safety, or certainty, built on asseurer, to make sure or reassure. The insurance sense developed later, with British life assurance preserving an older contrast between certain and uncertain risks.

FAQ

What does assurance mean?

Assurance can mean a promise that removes doubt, a feeling or manner of confidence, professional checking that builds trust, British life insurance, or a rare legal conveyance.

Is assurance the same as insurance?

Not usually. Insurance is the general word for protection against risk, while British assurance is mostly used for life cover or other benefits tied to an event that is certain to happen.

What is quality assurance?

Quality assurance is planned checking and process work meant to give confidence that a product or service will meet quality requirements.

What is assurance in accounting or audit?

In accounting, assurance is independent professional work that gives users confidence in information, controls, or reports.

Can assurance mean confidence?

Yes. Speaking or acting with assurance means doing it with calm certainty, poise, or self-possession.

What does assurance of salvation mean?

Assurance of salvation means confidence, especially in Christian theology, that salvation is secure.

Can assurance be negative?

Yes. In older or formal use, too much assurance can suggest presumption, impudence, or overbold confidence.

What does legal assurance mean?

In property law, assurance can mean the conveyance of real property or the instrument that transfers it.

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