credential

[kri-den-shuh l]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR credential 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.

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.

Origin of credential

1425–75; late Middle English credencial < Medieval Latin crēdenti(a) credence + -al¹

Related formsun·cre·den·tialed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for credential

diploma, sanction, voucher, recommendation, deed, testimonial, title, character, passport, endorsement, document, warrant, authorization, papers, missive, card, certificate, license, token, testament

Examples from the Web for credential

Contemporary Examples of credential

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
Students with more experience do better--but need the credential less.
Don't Go to Business School!
Megan McArdle
January 9, 2013
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
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
The credential of having a lot of Washington, D.C., experience is not “a calling card” among voters any more.
How Mitt Romney Can Defeat Rick Santorum for GOP Nomination
Ben Jacobs
February 15, 2012

Historical Examples of credential

The only credential he could produce was the testimony of his whole life.
End of the Tether
Joseph Conrad
I have every credential to prove my extraordinary announcement.
Clair de Lune
Michael Strange
Somebody said he was in the hall a moment ago, on a Ripton credential.
Mr. Crewe's Career, Complete
Winston Churchill
But the youth had not undertaken to deliver that credential, and he never did so.
Cradock Nowell, Vol. 2 (of 3)
Richard Doddridge Blackmore
The unuttered utterance is his credential, to be restored to the Bestower of it.
In Accordance with the Evidence
Oliver Onions

British Dictionary definitions for credential

credential

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 Formscredentialed, 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

Word Origin and History for credential

"that which entitles to credit," 1756, probably a back-formation from credentials. Earlier in English as an adjective, "confirming, corroborating" (late 15c.). As a verb, "provide with credentials," by 1828 (implied in dredentialed).