eligibility

noun

el·​i·​gi·​bil·​i·​ty ˌe-lə-jə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

: the quality or state of being eligible : fitness or suitability to be chosen, selected, or allowed to do something

The applicants must meet all requirements for eligibility.

… should "Shoeless Joe" Jackson, of "Black Sox" infamy, also be granted eligibility for the Hall of Fame?

—David A. Kaplan

Mass mailings go out to low-income areas, and if a letter is returned as undeliverable, the party uses it to challenge that voter's eligibility.

—Sasha Abramsky

Examples of eligibility in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Resources considered when determining eligibility typically include the money held in checking and savings accounts, stocks, bonds, mutual funds and retirement accounts. — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026

Prescription requests continue to surge, and determining eligibility requires careful chart review, documentation, and patient communication. — Jeffrey Millstein, STAT, 11 Aug. 2026

Tulsa National Little League's softball team was recently removed from the Little League Softball Southwest Region Tournament for a separate eligibility case. — Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2026

Forty-seven states offer Medicaid buy-in programs, but most restrict eligibility through limits on income and assets. — Natalie Krebs, NPR, 10 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing eligibility

• re-eligibility

Rhymes for eligibility

• acceptability
• accessibility
• adaptability
• admissibility
• advisability
• affordability
• allowability
• amenability
• amiability
• appealability
• applicability
• availability