validity
Americannoun
-
validities
plural
-
the state or quality of being valid.
to question the validity of the argument.
-
legal soundness or force.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of validity
First recorded in 1540–50; from Late Latin validitās; equivalent to valid + -ity
Explanation
When you test something's validity, you see if it holds true. Are these really the best chocolate chip cookies in the world? You might enjoy testing the validity of this statement. The noun validity means genuine or authentic, but it also has a legal meaning: having legal force. Your family asked the judge to determine the validity of your grandfather's will because they weren't sure he was legally allowed to leave all his worldly goods to "the little green men from Mars." Related words include the adjective "valid" and its antonym "invalid," as well as the verb "validate."
Vocabulary lists containing validity
"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 3
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Marbury v. Madison (1803)
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"Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 7
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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.
See Examples For:
“That 10% number is not based on research…there’s no scientific validity to that,” Bhadelia said of the Anthropic researcher’s doomsday prediction.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
In his letter to the Academic Senate, Frenk defended his words, saying he had neither criticized the law school nor questioned the validity of legal representation for people accused of horrific acts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Though he did not dispute the validity of the signatures, he argued, ultimately unsuccessfully, that acts of the Missouri Legislature that related to congressional districts simply were not subject to the people’s referendum power.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
But the certificate has raised alarm among conservationists, with the Confederation of Namibian Fishing Associations reportedly threatening to challenge its validity.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
Few people would quarrel with the validity or utility of the weak anthropic principle.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
Bosses at WMT have said the change would not affect its train services, timetables or stations and that all "ticket validities and conditions of carriage" were unaffected.
From BBC ● Feb. 1, 2026
There had come a pause, a throbbing silence, from which art might have emerged, may even now after the appointed time arise, with strange validities undreamed of or forgotten.
From Aspects of Literature by J. Middleton Murry
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
