affirm vs defend

affirm and defend both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
affirm	No	No	Yes	No
defend	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, defend is a hyponym of affirm; that is, defend is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than affirm:

Other hyponyms of affirm include claim, reaffirm, confirm, reassert, maintain.

affirm (verb)	defend (verb)
establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts	argue or speak in defense of
to declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true	state or assert
say yes to	be on the defensive; act against an attack
	protect against a challenge or attack
	protect or fight for as a champion
	fight against or resist strongly
	be the defense counsel for someone in a trial