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testament to

testament to

52 4.6
Something that shows clearly that a fact or quality exists
  • idiom
translation icon : prueba de
  • I believe that our survival is a testament to the resilience and stamina of the Native spirit.
  • testament to the importance
  • testament to the quality
  • testament to the success

And I think today is a testament to the fact that you were right.

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Examples

  • We called it the Titan Project, and it was a testament to the limitless power of the human imagination.

  • They've saved millions upon millions of lives and it's testament to human ingenuity that vaccines exist.

  • And I think today is a testament to the fact that you were right.

  • And it is a testament to everything that you brought to it.

  • The guys I started with are a testament to that.

  • The fact that you lost only nine men is a solid testament to you and your crew.

  • Participation in the war effort would be a testament to one's membership in the American nation.

    Academic text (2000)
  • The fact that we are all still standing here is a testament to their heroism.

  • Very few employees left Baogang after the reforms began, a testament to the success of attempts to change Baogang's behavior.

    Academic text (1996)
  • The success of that film is certainly a testament to the Russo brothers as a directing team.

Synonyms

testimony
vstestament to
58 4.3

A sign that shows a fact or quality is real

shows that quality more clearly or emphatically
attestation
vstestament to
  • Formal
1 7.9

Official proof, often by signature or witness, that something is true

refers to the proof itself rather than the formal act

How Convincing

testament to
52 4.6
proof
2.5
evidence
1.8
sign
3.2
indication
382 3.9
a hint of
180 2.4

Surface Forms

testament to singular
testaments to plural

Morphology

testament + to

The noun 'testament' carries the meaning 'a sign or proof' and the preposition 'to' simply marks the thing being evidenced, so the combined phrase means 'evidence of' in a directly compositional way. This follows ordinary English noun + preposition patterns and is mirrored in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Testament to comes from the old sense of testament as a person's will, the paper that shows what they owned or valued after they died. So when we call something a testament to a quality, we mean it is clear 'proof' or 'evidence' of that quality.