credit rating

American  

noun

1. a classification of credit risk based on investigation of a customer's or potential customer's financial resources, prior payment pattern, and personal history or degree of personal responsibility for debts incurred.

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credit rating British  

noun

1. an evaluation of the creditworthiness of an individual or business enterprise

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credit rating Cultural  

1. An evaluation of the financial trustworthiness of an individual, firm, or government.

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Etymology

Origin of credit rating

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

“You wouldn’t want a credit rating agency to say, ‘Well, you’re not going to sell it, and so therefore I’m going to mark it to zero in my credit assessment.’”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026

Guterres also denounced global lending systems, debt burdens and international credit rating structures that he said unfairly disadvantaged African economies.

From BBC • May 12, 2026

She also wants to partner with financial institutions to develop a system for unbanked individuals, meaning those who don’t use traditional banks or credit unions, to start earning a credit rating and score.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

Lilly received an endorsement from an unlikely cheerleader on Thursday: S&P Global Ratings, which upgraded Lilly’s issuer credit rating to AA- from A+ while maintaining a positive outlook.

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

You may make a fine employee or deserve low premiums or a good credit rating, but if your correlatives are perceived to be lacking in some way, you’ll have difficulty, too.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos