validity
Americannoun
-
the state or quality of being valid.
to question the validity of the argument.
-
legal soundness or force.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of validity
First recorded in 1540–50; from Late Latin validitās; equivalent to valid + -ity
Explanation
When you test something's validity, you see if it holds true. Are these really the best chocolate chip cookies in the world? You might enjoy testing the validity of this statement. The noun validity means genuine or authentic, but it also has a legal meaning: having legal force. Your family asked the judge to determine the validity of your grandfather's will because they weren't sure he was legally allowed to leave all his worldly goods to "the little green men from Mars." Related words include the adjective "valid" and its antonym "invalid," as well as the verb "validate."
Vocabulary lists containing validity
"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 3
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Marbury v. Madison (1803)
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"Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 7
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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 GAO report is an important step in confirming the validity of BLS data and providing Matsumoto with a framework for further improvements.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
There is some debate on the validity of the decision, which the German group plans to oppose, and it is unclear how timelines evolve from here, they add.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026
The validity of the social media posts are under scrutiny.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2026
Public officials don’t always examine the validity of health claims, according to Rule.
From Salon ● Apr. 27, 2026
One is free to use any three suitable coordinates, although they have only a limited range of validity.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
Bosses at WMT have said the change would not affect its train services, timetables or stations and that all "ticket validities and conditions of carriage" were unaffected.
From BBC ● Feb. 1, 2026
There had come a pause, a throbbing silence, from which art might have emerged, may even now after the appointed time arise, with strange validities undreamed of or forgotten.
From Aspects of Literature by Murry, J. Middleton
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.
