validity

[vuh-lid-i-tee]

noun

1. the state or quality of being valid.

   to question the validity of the argument.

2. legal soundness or force.

Other Word Forms

• nonvalidity noun
• prevalidity noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of validity¹

First recorded in 1540–50; from Late Latin validitās; equivalent to valid + -ity

Example Sentences

Nelleman argues the tests lack scientific validity and were developed to study personality traits rather than predict parenting ability.

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Here we find a quote from Michael Longley’s 1966 review of “Death of a Naturalist,” which argued that its “childhood landscape has acquired the validity of myth.”

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The force said interviewing officers had been "trying to understand the validity of his admissions".

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This close match between simulation and observation further supports the validity of the dynamic dark energy model.

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To answer that, the CIA would need to get some material from Penkovsky and test its validity and its worth.

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Related Words

• effectiveness 
• efficacy 
• gravity 
• legality 
• legitimacy 
• potency 
• soundness 
• substance