credibility
Americannoun
-
credibilities
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of credibility
First recorded in 1570–80; from Late Latin crēdibilitās, equivalent to Latin crēdibili(s) credible ( def. ) + -tās -ty 2 ( def. )
Explanation
You have credibility when you seem totally trustworthy or believable. You lose it when you start lying, cheating and acting rather shady. Credibility is a noun that speaks to plausibility or believableness, so the star witness at your trial or the person writing your recommendation letter should certainly have it. Be careful though, because someone with credibility isn't necessarily telling the truth. As any con man or politician can tell you, credibility can easily come from nothing more than a confident smile.
Vocabulary lists containing credibility
Argumentative Writing
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Believe It or Not: Cred
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Argumentative Writing, List 1
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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:
The bullet points included starting with strong, committed ownership; delivering a good product; establishing credibility and trust with fans and media; and hiring good people and letting them do their jobs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
"I am standing to reunite the global football family, deliver genuine and lasting reform, modernise Fifa for the 21st Century, restore stability and credibility, and rebuild the trust that our game urgently needs," he said.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
"France had already been under pressure due to questions over fiscal credibility and political stability," said Patrick Munnelly, market strategist at Tickmill Group.
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
“The U.S. dollar, U.S. Treasury…the credibility has been questioned.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
He wanted to explain—in a way that he acknowledged would damage his credibility as a witness—how the camp had warped his character.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
So when bargaining with the sharks consider both the static and the dynamic game, and the value of their relative credibilities to them.
From Forbes ● Nov. 15, 2014
No matter who is winning whatever conflict is now going on on the Mongolian-Manchukuoan border, the credibilities of the world's newspaper readers are taking a terrific beating.
From Time Magazine Archive
Sallust would no doubt have put anything into Catiline's mouth which would suit his own purpose; but it was necessary for his purpose that he should confine himself to credibilities.
From The Life of Cicero Volume One by Anthony Trollope
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.
