reliability
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of reliability
Explanation
It's nice when someone compliments your reliability because it means they think you are dependable. Things that are known for reliability? Your best friend, sunrise, sunset and unfortunately also taxes. The word is a new one and didn't become common until after 1850 during the Industrial Revolution. Before things were mass produced, how reliable they were was not such an issue. Interesting fact: reliability is an American word, and the Brits scoffed at its new usage.
Vocabulary lists containing reliability
Monster
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Mechanical Engineering
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Structural Engineering
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The state has its own power market, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or Ercot, which is exempt from most federal regulations, West added.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 12, 2026
Reliability was so bad that by the start of the final day of the test, Honda had only one battery left, and took the decision to limit running to only short runs.
From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026
In the next decade, peak power demand could soar by a stunning 224 gigawatts, the North American Electric Reliability Corp warned last month.
From Barron's • Feb. 6, 2026
Nearly 70% of the customers seeking to connect to the grid were data centers as of September, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the state’s main grid operator.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 18, 2025
Since then I have exhibited these gloves, during the Scottish "Reliability" trials, to a casual acquaintance, and her criticism, although strictly irrelevant, was too witty to be omitted.
From Through East Anglia in a Motor Car by Vincent, J. E. (James Edmund)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
