visibility

American  

[viz-uh-bil-i-tee] / ˌvɪz əˈbɪl ɪ ti /

noun

• visibilities
  plural

1. the state or fact of being visible.

2. the relative ability to be seen under given conditions of distance, light, atmosphere, etc..

   low visibility due to fog.

3. Also called visual range. Meteorology. the distance at which a given standard object can be seen and identified with the unaided eye.

4. the ability to give a relatively large range of unobstructed vision.

   a windshield with good visibility.

5. Typography. legibility.

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visibility British  

/ ˌvɪzɪˈbɪlɪtɪ /

noun

1. the condition or fact of being visible

2. clarity of vision or relative possibility of seeing

3. the range of vision

   visibility is 500 yards

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• intervisibility
  noun
• nonvisibility
  noun
• previsibility
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• visibilities
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of visibility

1575–85; < Late Latin vīsibilitās, equivalent to Latin vīsibili ( s ) visible + -tās -ty ²

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Explanation

Use the noun visibility to describe how well you can see something, like the great visibility from the top of a mountain on a clear day. In addition to meaning "how well you can see," visibility can also mean "how well others can see something." So, the reflective stripes on your running pants give you visibility in the dark because they help other people see you. Another kind of visibility is being in the public eye, like an actor whose visibility helps him land roles in movies and promote the causes he cares about, like literacy or helping endangered animals.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

visibility visibilities

Unfortunately, the Moon will be in the waxing gibbous phase on the night of the 21 October, throwing extra light into the night sky and reducing visibility.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

That means Quantinuum has visibility to the quantum-computing industry’s holy grail: the threshold of “fault tolerance,” where quantum computers can function reliably and accurately despite the presence of errors, Hazra said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

"The smoke not only reduces visibility and disrupts aircraft operations, but also affects residents' health," the agency warned.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

The next target may be a different member of Congress, a public official or a naturalized citizen without Omar’s visibility or resources.

From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026

The improving visibility revealed Polly, the chambermaid who everyone said was simple, and who stayed on late whenever there was a do.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

“Blowing and driving snow with near zero visibilities possible,” the weather service said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2026

Interstate 35 north of the city was closed for a time due to snow-caked roads and low visibilities.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 18, 2022

Images captured at the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area in Mammoth Lakes revealed visibilities down to barely 200 feet.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 28, 2021

I think that there has been a shift that is less law and legislation than shifts in consciousness and visibilities, and that will have consequences.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 8, 2018

The German word Gemüthlichkeit, the English phrase 'a home of ancient peace,' are here alike by art and nature untranslated into visibilities.

From Sketches and Studies in Italy and Greece, Second Series by Horatio Robert Forbes Brown

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