proved 1 of 2

adjective

as in proven

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

proved

2 of 2

verb

past tense of prove
1
as in demonstrated
to show the existence or truth of by evidence the prosecutor used DNA evidence to prove the defendant's guilt

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in emerged
to come to be the new automobile engine design proved impractical

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in established
to gain full recognition or acceptance of proved herself a great actress on the Broadway stage

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 proved
Adjective
While such reports by Muddy Waters and others have in the past proved devastating, this one appears to be a misfire. — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2026 Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark may advise their listeners to not talk to strangers, but in their case, doing so proved transformative. — Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 15 Jan. 2026 The court fights all proved futile, however. — George Avalos, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
The decision to launch the movie in moderate release — rather than limited in just a handful of venues or nationwide on more than 2,000 screens — proved wise because the studio was able to bolster awareness while cultivating a sense of scarcity. — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 26 Oct. 2026 The route Morrison and Nelson had in mind, the Super Direct, via the Hornbein and Japanese Couloirs, has proved almost unclimbable, much less skiable. — Nick Paumgarten, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026 The emerald bracelet, for example, proved the perfect choice when she was draped in a rich green dress for a reception celebrating Shakespeare at Buckingham Palace in 2024. — Stephanie Bridger-Linning, Vanity Fair, 25 Oct. 2026 For the Chiefs, that proved to be a difficult deficit to overcome. — Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2026 Martinez struck out five and allowed two runs over five innings, but a slow start proved costly. — Steve Megaree, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026 Jake Sanderson’s first of the season proved to be the winner and Michael Amadio added an empty-netter. — ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026 This strain of bird flu, which began ripping through American poultry farms in early 2022, has proved adept at jumping to other species. — Nat Lash, ProPublica, 23 Oct. 2026 She is soon proved wrong when the suspect (an alien) self-detonates. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for proved
  1. proven
  2. demonstrated
  3. emerged
  4. established
  5. developed
  6. evolved
  7. showed
  8. advanced
Adjective
  • Unfortunately, there’s no proven way to completely eliminate hallucinations from AI systems for now.
    — Klaudia Zaika, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • In new guidance, the American Academy of Pediatrics says unpasteurized dairy is unsafe and offers no proven health benefits.
    — Kathleen Felton, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of proven
Verb
  • The researchers demonstrated that the direction could be switched by reversing the voltage polarity.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
  • When growth pressures persist, corporate boards frequently turn to executive leadership changes to engineer a turnaround, as demonstrated by this week's executive shakeup at Swiss chocolate maker Lindt.
    — , CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of demonstrated
Verb
  • From this spirited competition emerged two progenitors of modern horror, science fiction, and fantasy.
    — Maria Papadouris, JSTOR Daily, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Speaking to The Telegraph, Park said Freeman had emerged as the clear favorite for the role.
    — Sadie Andrew, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of emerged
Verb
  • Neither party appears to have established much credibility with independent voters on the issue.
    — Will Johnson, Time, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The agency was established in 2021 to make sure electrical utilities work to reduce the risk of wildfires caused by their equipment.
    — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of established
Adjective
  • Worries about big government debt are weighing on almost every developed economy in the world, including the United States.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Room for more London has its regulars, but its calendar remains less developed than New York’s.
    — Sujata Assomull, Vogue, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of developed
Verb
  • The backstory What started as a field station over 20 years ago has evolved into a tourism venture in collaboration between Wilderness, the Save the Rhino Trust, and neighboring Namibian communities.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Many of these pieces evolved around favorite pieces that Eilish and Finneas have tested over the past year.
    — Christian Allaire, Vogue, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of evolved
Verb
  • The 6-foot-9 forward who signed a veteran minimum contract showed willingness to pick up opposing ball-handlers full court.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • In that incident, surveillance footage — first reported by the Daily News — showed the fare-checkers pushing Brooklyn school aide Kyle Taylor up against a bus stop shelter following a fare dispute that had turned physical.
    — Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of showed
Adjective
  • By increasing its manufacturing capacity, the company aims to strengthen its ability to deliver advanced systems to customers.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Back the companies willing to take risks The United States needs an advanced manufacturing ecosystem that includes more than behemoths with access to capital markets and giant lines of credit.
    — Rick Lazio, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of advanced

Browse Nearby Words

prove
proved
proven
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Proved.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/proved. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All