Do you know anyone who seems to need constant validation? Before getting an adjective to qualify him/her, you have to recognize how much of a bad habit it is.
There is a slight difference between seeking validation constantly and seeking approval constantly.
Being validation-seeking implies that one seeks to ensure something is true or done correctly and may be a bad habit if one puts the entire validation into the hands of another person. It includes Approval seeking.
Being Approval-seeking implies that you depend on the approval of another person to determine what is right and what can or must be done.
A word for someone who needs Constant Validation is Approval-seeking if he/she depends on the other person. We can also call him/her ‘Cautious’ for wanting to ensure what is true or correct.
15 words for someone who needs Constant Validation
There are several words you can use for someone who seeks constant validation and one of them is validation-seeking which comprises every interpretation of ‘validation’ including both the negative and the positive. Below are 15 other words for someone who needs Constant Validation.
- Perfectionist
- Truth-seeking
- Approval-seeking (or Approval addict)
- Apprehensive
- Logician
- Pedant
- Attention-seeking
- Sophist
- Unconfident
- Precisionist
- Veracious
- Accolade-seeking
- Formalist
- Fussbudget
- Candid
Perfectionist
A person who asks for validation constantly may simply be a perfectionist. You may bear the misconception that he/she is depending on the answers of another person to say what is right or wrong. However, a perfectionist simply wants to make everything perfect and must validate everything that is brought before him/her.
A perfectionist is a person who is obsessed with perfection and wants to validate his/her work to ensure flawlessness.
A perfectionist is not depending on the answers of another person. When he or she requests the validation of another person, it is to get the person’s perspective and make sure his/her own perspective isn’t wrong. He/she may also be asking for validation from another person who may be able to provide proof.
A perfectionist deals with ensuring what is true and providing evidence for it. Therefore, when a perfectionist seeks validation, he/she expects more than your oral confirmation.
Example:
- I’m a perfectionist. This has to be validated first.
Truth-seeking
Someone who seeks validation may not be dependent on the answers of another person but simply want the truth about something.
When you give someone information and he/she seeks to validate it before working on it, it is simply to ensure that the information is not wrong.
‘Truth-seeking’ has to do with asking a trusted source or demanding evidence when a piece of information is passed to you.
A truth seeker is a person who wants to make sure information is true before he/she uses it. You can call such a person a truth seeker, rather than a validation seeker since validation-seeking can be interpreted differently and negatively.
A truth seeker isn’t simply trying to get attention by asking for validation. This is just a person cautious of what he/she believes.
Example:
- He’s truth-seeking. Provide your sources.
Approval-seeking (or Approval addict)
Validation-seeking is often automatically interpreted as Approval-seeking. This makes it important to define what you mean when you want to address a person you consider a validation seeker.
An Approval-seeking person seeks the approval of another person. This involves submitting to the intelligence and judgment of another person.
An Approval seeker or Approval addict is a person who wants to be approved by everyone or just one person. A person can come to you repeatedly for validation just to submit to whatever you say.
This person is an approval seeker if he/she accepts whatever you say as the truth, irrespective of his/her own ideas.
A mentee can be approval-seeking to a mentor and that is expected. However, this kind of relationship still requires some actual validation.
Example:
- He’s an approval addict. He’s not calm till he’s applauded.
Apprehensive
A person who seeks constant validation is most likely apprehensive. An Approval-seeking person is also likely apprehensive. When a person seeks to validate every information that comes his/her way, he/she is likely unconfident and anxious to make sure everything is true before making use of it.
A person may also be apprehensive about his/her own effort. This kind of person is approval-seeking as he/she will only be calm when the other person approves his/her effort.
An apprehensive person is one who is anticipating something with anxiety or fear. It also refers to a person who has an open mind to learn. The word can refer to a validation seeker and an approval seeker.
A person may be apprehensive when seeking validation, either to actually learn or to just make a person applaud him/her.
Example:
- He can be quite apprehensive. Check his work
Logician
This is the word for a philosopher. A person who seeks constant validation may just want to discuss some assumptions to consider how true they can be. In this case, they may or may not be able to get a perfect answer but will most likely be closer to the best answer they can get.
A logician is a person who wants to confirm a truth or possibility. When a logician comes for validation, he/she is there for a worthy argument and not just to succumb to your ideas. A logician keeps an open mind and discusses his/her thoughts equally. This is interdependence.
A logician is apprehensive and open to new knowledge.
Example:
- I’m a logician. Give me time to go through this.
Pedant
A person who seeks validation may be doing so to ensure strict adherence. This can be perceived both positively and negatively. It is similar to calling a person submissive.
‘Submissive’ is an okay word when the situation is fair. However, submission can be considered insulting when you think a person should have a mind of his/her own or fight back.
A pedant is a person who is overly concerned with formalities and the rules. This is a person who wants to confirm that everything is done as formally requested and all rules are obeyed.
A pedant seeks to validate his/her work or that of others constantly to make sure everything is according to the rules.
Example:
- The man is a pedant. If he says it takes years, then it takes years.
Attention-seeking
Validation seekers are considered to be automatically approval seekers and most approval seekers or all are attention seekers. ‘Attention-seeking’ is when you desire the attention of everyone.
A person may also be called attention-seeking if he/she only wants the attention and approval of one person. An attention seeker will show off to people just to see the clear approval on their faces.
An attention seeker will be unsatisfied with his/her work. In most cases, the attention of people is the goal of an attention seeker and he/she may not really care about the work as long as people are pleased by it.
Attention-seeking is a bad habit and should be replaced with independence and confidence in one’s craft.
Example:
- I detest attention seekers.
Gullible
This may be the direct opposite of Logician. Unlike Logicians that analyze information and situations to be sure of the truth, Gullible people don’t do much analysis and are quite easy to deceive.
This is a person who is easily swayed by the fallacy of a co-debater. A person who seeks constant Approval is likely gullible, especially if he/she takes the ideas of another person as the truth without any form of validation.
A gullible person is one who can be deceived easily. If a Validation seeker is gullible, he would simply accept the approval of others without confirming how valid their views really are.
This can be considered a major feature of an Approval seeker. However, a mentee and people in positions of submission have to be exempted, as they are expected to submit to another person who is expected to be more knowledgeable.
Example:
- He’s very gullible. Just tell him ‘no’ and it’s ‘no’.
Unconfident
This is a similar word to Apprehensive. However, this is a more direct word unlike ‘Apprehensive’ which can be positive and negative.
An unconfident person can find himself or herself seeking the validation of others because he/she isn’t confident in his/her skills.
An unconfident person is seeking approval but is not necessarily just submitting to the ideas of another person. However, a person who isn’t confident in his/her own views may be easily deceived.
An unconfident person doesn’t believe in information or in a work that he/she has done. Therefore, he/she will likely be approval-seeking. However, an unconfident person who seeks proof will only be a Validation seeker.
Lack of confidence doesn’t necessarily make a person easy to deceive.
Example:
- He’s unconfident so stay close.
Precisionist
This is similar to calling a person a perfectionist. However, this focuses on the exactness of something. When a person gets contrasting information and seeks validation, it is to get which of them is the truth.
He/she may also want to know exactly what is needed from a piece of information and will seek validation from those who seem to know more.
Precisionist is a positive word for a person who values the exactness of information. He/she wants to be direct and correct. It is also used to refer to a person who wants to obey the rules as they are stated.
A precisionist is a perfectionist in terms of information. A precisionist is also a person who likes preciseness.
Example:
- He can be a precisionist at times.
Veracious
This is the right adjective for a person who wants to validate information and get the truth. When a person seeks actual Validation, he/she is asking for another person’s perspective to see how it aligns with his.
In this case, a veracious person is seeking another person’s proof to see how they prove the information that he/she has.
A veracious person is a truthful person who values the truth. He/she says the truth and equally wants to always prove the truth.
Veracious is a nice word to use if the validation seeker wants proof for all the information you share.
Example:
- What a veracious person! She must confirm the truth.
Accolade-seeking
This is another word for an attention seeker. Similarly, this person may be seeking accolades from just one person or everyone. A person who seeks validation may simply be showing off so that another person can praise him/her for it.
An accolade seeker is one who does everything just to get praise from people. This kind of person is only happy when he/she is commended by a certain person or people.
Example:
- He’s so accolade-seeking. No one needs to see that
Formalist
A person who needs constant validation may simply want to adhere to the rules. While it isn’t bad to be compliant, it can be perceived as gullible. However, this is a positive word for referring to a compliant person.
A formalist is one who makes sure to adhere to the rules given by a greater authority or person.
A formalist can also be called a Pedant. A negative synonym is servile.
Example:
- He’s a formalist so it’ll take time to verify.
Fussbudget
This is the word for someone who always complains about everything. A person who seeks to validate all you bring before him/her can be called a fussbudget for being untrusting.
A fussbudget complains about what you consider trivial. In this case, he/she seeks unnecessary validation constantly.
This is a cynic person who won’t trust you until you prove what you have.
Example:
- Prepare your proof. He’s a fussbudget.
Candid
This is another word for a veracious person. A person may seek validation to make sure something is done correctly, truthfully, or impartially. Also, the desire to follow rules will make a person validate every piece of information again and again.
A candid person is one who values honesty and seeks to validate how honest a piece of information is.
Example:
- He’s candid. He won’t let it pass without evidence.
Validation-seeking often differs from Approval-seeking but they can also mean the same. A good word for a validation-seeker is ‘Perfectionist’ i.e. a person who wants everything perfectly done.
