credential

[ kri-den-shuhl ]

/ krɪˈdɛn ʃəl /

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See synonyms for: credential / credentials on Thesaurus.com

noun

Usually credentials.

evidence of authority, status, rights, entitlement to privileges, or the like, usually in written form: Only those with the proper credentials are admitted.
Digital Technology. information that identifies an account and keeps it secure, as username and password: The IT department assigns temporary system credentials to new employees.

anything that provides the basis for confidence, belief, credit, etc.

verb (used with object), cre·den·tialed, cre·den·tial·ing or especially British cre·den·tialled, cre·den·tial·ling.

to grant credentials to, especially educational and professional ones: She has been credentialed to teach math.

adjective

providing the basis for confidence, belief, credit, etc.

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Origin of credential

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English credencial, from Medieval Latin crēdenti(a);see credence, -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM credential

un·cre·den·tialed, adjective

Words nearby credential

cred, credence, credence table, credendum, credent, credential, credentialism, credenza, credibility, credibility gap, credible

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use credential in a sentence

They’re easily dazzled by smooth talkers, and they place too much weight on credentials and not enough on skills and motivation.
The startup Adam Grant is betting on to fix bias in hiring is out of stealth mode|Sarah Todd|September 15, 2020|Quartz
The hackers use two techniques—one known as "brute forcing" and the other called "password spraying"—in an attempt to obtain targets' Office365 login credentials.
Russian state hackers are targeting Biden and Trump campaigns, MSFT warns|Dan Goodin|September 11, 2020|Ars Technica
Foreign groups used tactics including rotating IP addresses to disguise attacks, web bugs planted in purchased domain names and phishing, in an effort to harvest log-in credentials and gain information on targeted individuals and organizations.
Russian hackers are again trying to disrupt U.S. elections, Microsoft says|Verne Kopytoff|September 10, 2020|Fortune
Whenever you get to a point where you need to log in somewhere, you’ll be asked if you want to save the relevant credentials.
How to get started using a password manager|David Nield|September 8, 2020|Popular-Science

Importing your passwordsMost password managers give you the option to import credentials from somewhere else, such as your browser.
How to get started using a password manager|David Nield|September 8, 2020|Popular-Science
At one point in time, there was a code of conduct: creed and credential.
CeeLo and Goodie Mob on Their Comeback, Kanye West’s ‘Emotional Problems,’ More|Marlow Stern|August 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Students with more experience do better--but need the credential less.
Don't Go to Business School!|Megan McArdle|January 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Now, of course, I don't think that education is only a credential.
More on Whether We're Paying too Much for College|Megan McArdle|September 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Especially to the extent that this helps drive a lot of additional spending on said credential.
More on Whether We're Paying too Much for College|Megan McArdle|September 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Felix Salmon argues that college is an increasingly necessary credential.
More on Whether We're Paying too Much for College|Megan McArdle|September 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST
They enclose a letter which is to serve their victim as a mark of identification or credential when he comes on to purchase.
Gallegher and Other Stories|Richard Harding Davis
Sir Alain bound the emissary with cords, like a felon spy, and sent him and his papers and credential signets unto King Stephen.
A Legend of Reading Abbey|Charles MacFarlane
After the usual reverences, the chancellor demanded his credential letters, which he read aloud.
Early Travels in Palestine|Arculf et al.
It seems to me that that attitude is the only credential which any Christian mission can give for its existence.
A Labrador Doctor|Wilfred Thomason Grenfell
“Your visitor will present to you the missing half of the enclosed card as credential,” he wrote.
The Golden Face|William Le Queux

British Dictionary definitions for credential

credential

/ (krɪˈdɛnʃəl) /

noun

something that entitles a person to confidence, authority, etc

(plural) a letter or certificate giving evidence of the bearer's identity or competence

adjective

entitling one to confidence, authority, etc

Derived forms of credential

credentialed, adjective

Word Origin for credential

C16: from Medieval Latin crēdentia credit, trust; see credence

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

credential

Origin of credential

OTHER WORDS FROM credential

Words nearby credential

Words related to credential

How to use credential in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for credential

Derived forms of credential

Word Origin for credential