credence

American  

[kreed-ns] / ˈkrid ns /

noun

1. belief as to the truth of something.

   to give credence to a claim.

   Synonyms:

   confidence, faith, credit

2. something giving a claim to belief or confidence.

   letter of credence.

3. Also called credenza.  Also called credence table,.  Ecclesiastical. a small side table, shelf, or niche for holding articles used in the Eucharist service.

4. Furniture. credenza.

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credence British  

/ ˈkriːdəns /

noun

1. acceptance or belief, esp with regard to the truth of the evidence of others

   I cannot give credence to his account

2. something supporting a claim to belief; recommendation; credential (esp in the phrase letters of credence )

3. short for credence table

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Other Word Forms

• noncredence noun

Etymology

Origin of credence

1300–50; Middle English < Middle French credence < Medieval Latin crēdentia. See credent, -ence

Explanation

Credence means truthfulness, or believability. A video of a funnel cloud entering Central Park would give credence to rumors of a tornado in Manhattan. Generally, credence is given to an idea or topic by something else. You'll see it often coming after words like lend, give, and impart. When something is given credence, it is made more believable. But it can also be used like this: Mary talked a lot about the poltergeist in her house. To most, her story had little credence, but I like a good ghost story, and so, decided to believe.

Example Sentences

Whether a competitive showing is enough to give credence to talk of a mini Welsh revival remains to be seen.

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026

Bernstein analyst Harshita Rawat said in a note that she wonders if Block’s move could lend credence to the “unemployment fears” that have “gripped markets” recently.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 2026

The work he put in to learn a new position raised questions about whether that was a root cause of his hitting struggles, a point he granted some credence to late last season.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2026

“The latest figures suggest firms are successfully doing more with less labor, giving more credence to a jobless expansion,” writes Matthew Martin, senior economist at Oxford Economics.

From Barron's • Jan. 8, 2026

Adah says no one is giving it any credence; here, no one has ever doubted it.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver