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

See Examples For:

credence

While spice master is an unofficial term—much like “spice therapist,” another that people have given Lev Sercarz, who says it makes him wince—his two cookbooks give the monikers credence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

Erkılıç says she doesn’t give much credence to the AI versus humanity panic.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026

That helps lend credence to Krinsky’s description of how parabolic rallies end.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 23, 2026

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

I gave no credence to the ideology of Garveyism; it was, rather, the emotional dynamics of its adherents that evoked my admiration.

From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright