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Synonyms

reliability

American  
[ri-lahy-uh-bil-i-tee] / rɪˌlaɪ əˈbɪl ɪ ti /
Sometimes reliableness

noun

  • reliabilities
    plural
  1. the ability to be relied on or depended on, as for accuracy, honesty, or achievement.


Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns


Etymology

Origin of reliability

reliable + -ity


Explanation

It's nice when someone compliments your reliability because it means they think you are dependable. Things that are known for reliability? Your best friend, sunrise, sunset and unfortunately also taxes. The word is a new one and didn't become common until after 1850 during the Industrial Revolution. Before things were mass produced, how reliable they were was not such an issue. Interesting fact: reliability is an American word, and the Brits scoffed at its new usage.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing reliability

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:

Technically, Shiller has data on stock-market returns and inflation going back to the 1870s, but there are reasons to be skeptical about the value — or even the reliability — of such ancient financial history.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026

Anthropic said AI could provide individually tailored education and expert financial and legal advice, advance power grids and battery design for greater efficiency and reliability and help the "developing world" build more technological capabilities.

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026

To improve reliability and reduce the risk of false readings, the team proposes combining several probes designed to recognize different cellular structures.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026

Action said a decision by the Thompkinses not to permit the company to share the boy’s medical details called into question the reliability of the family’s account.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

I have some doubt about his reliability, but he is the best I could find, and he did seem eager for the job.

From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling

Pyongyang has released footage of undersea missile launches, but the projectiles’ reliabilities and capabilities are unknown.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 8, 2023

But there is a great difference in the reliabilities of reports made by trained and by untrained men.

From The Business of Mining A brief non-technical exposition of the principles involved in the profitable operation of mines by Arthur J. Hoskin

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