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

Etymology

Origin of visibility

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

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

Soon those booking photos, and about 400,000 others spanning two decades, are set to vanish from a county website, the latest move across America to rein in the visibility of a well-known mainstay of policing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

"We will have a high visibility presence in the Grangetown area as this investigation progresses, and to provide reassurance to local communities, who will no doubt be impacted by this tragic incident."

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

Former Thai MP and human rights advocate Kannavee Suebsang told AFP there was "an increase in the coordination and visibility of the attacks this year".

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

Management should provide clear financial visibility but instead keeps everyone in the dark.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

The wind was still fierce—strong enough to knock me down several times— but it was a bright, clear dawn, and the visibility was perfect.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2026

Snowfall totals ended up on the lower end of forecasts, but winds as high as 40 mph still buffeted the area, leading to drifting and visibilities near zero at times.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 23, 2023

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

Clearly, if the most brilliant star in the heavens and a star that cannot be seen by the naked eye, prove to be equidistant, relative distances cannot be in the least inferred from relative visibilities.

From Essays: Scientific, Political, & Speculative, Vol. I by Herbert Spencer