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

“It’s so weird that it takes up so much of my brain space, thinking about fame and visibility and money and power,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026

Further foggy starts are expected with some patches likely to become dense and slow to clear, potentially causing reduced visibility and travel disruption.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026

Analysts at Morgan Stanley led by Shawn Kim highlighted, however, that the long-term agreements provide visibility on capital expenditure and free cash flow into 2030.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026

Looking to 2027, the company highlighted limited visibility given the highly dynamic market environment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

Both felt that it was a period of high visibility, that their faults and blemishes were sinking into obscurity in an inversely proportional manner.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

Regardless, confidence is growing in a jackpot zone of at least 12 to 18 inches of snow, which will coincide with strong winds to yield visibilities below a quarter-mile, or whiteout conditions.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 19, 2022

“It looks like winds may be strong enough in the Antelope Valley that there might be some reduced visibilities due to blowing dust and sand.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 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

Always we were talking of the two visibilities, high and low.

From My Second Year of the War by Frederick Palmer

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