visibility
Americannoun
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the state or fact of being visible.
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the relative ability to be seen under given conditions of distance, light, atmosphere, etc..
low visibility due to fog.
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Also called visual range. Meteorology. the distance at which a given standard object can be seen and identified with the unaided eye.
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the ability to give a relatively large range of unobstructed vision.
a windshield with good visibility.
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Typography. legibility.
noun
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the condition or fact of being visible
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clarity of vision or relative possibility of seeing
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the range of vision
visibility is 500 yards
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of visibility
1575–85; < Late Latin vīsibilitās, equivalent to Latin vīsibili ( s ) visible + -tās -ty 2
Explanation
Use the noun visibility to describe how well you can see something, like the great visibility from the top of a mountain on a clear day. In addition to meaning "how well you can see," visibility can also mean "how well others can see something." So, the reflective stripes on your running pants give you visibility in the dark because they help other people see you. Another kind of visibility is being in the public eye, like an actor whose visibility helps him land roles in movies and promote the causes he cares about, like literacy or helping endangered animals.
Vocabulary lists containing visibility
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List 8
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Tina Turner (1939–2023) Tribute List
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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.
A theme especially potent on Trans Day of Visibility, a holiday organizers wanted the Joy Who Lived to coincide with.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
Visibility for the U.S. economy was finally starting to improve after the April tariff-induced selloff.
From MarketWatch • Oct. 21, 2025
One tweeted out a trans-character-centered article from Netflix’s in-house publication, Tudum, posted earlier this year in honor of International Trans Day of Visibility.
From Slate • Oct. 3, 2025
"Visibility without safety is tokenization — it's dangerous. I think that we are more at the apex of that than we maybe have ever been in American history," Mowitz said.
From Salon • Mar. 31, 2025
Visibility was no more than fifteen feet and the winds were razor sharp.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
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.
