bona fides

noun bo·na fi·des \ ˌbō-nə-ˈfī-ˌdēz , ÷ˈbō-nə-ˌfīdz \

Updated on: 11 Apr 2018

Definition of bona fides

1 : good faith : sincerity

2 : the fact of being genuine —often plural in construction

3 : evidence of one's good faith or genuineness —often plural in construction

4 : evidence of one's qualifications or achievements —often plural in construction

See bona fides defined for English-language learners

bona fides was our Word of the Day on 07/30/2017. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of bona fides from the Web

The Cisco Kid, hero beloved by 1940s-’60s radio, TV, film and comic-strip audiences, actually began as a bona fide Texas outlaw created by O. Henry in 1907.

— chris gray, Houston Chronicle, "Crime-fiction kingpin Otto Penzler dusts off history’s great ‘Rogues and Villains’," 7 Apr. 2018
For Cruz, the March 23 vote against the 2018 spending bill provided a certain measure of insurance, confirming his bona fides as a fiscal hawk.

— kevin diaz, San Antonio Express-News, "Cruz relying on brand to fend off lesser-known O’Rourke," 1 Apr. 2018
With medical marijuana on the cusp of becoming a bona fide industry in Michigan, the people who educate customers and sell the product in dispensaries — budtenders in marijuana lingo — will be in high demand.

— kathleen gray, Detroit Free Press, "Medical marijuana budtenders will be in high demand when Michigan market debuts," 30 Mar. 2018
Most visitors to Walt Disney World expect to see the odd mouse here — namely, Mickey or Minnie — but one couple wasn’t as thrilled to see a bona fide rat, according to new court documents.

— michael bartiromo, Fox News, "Man sues Disney Parks, claims rat bit him at Magic Kingdom," 27 Mar. 2018
Adam Beyer The 41-year-old Swede has emerged as one of techno's few bona fide headliners, presiding over his prestigious Drumcode label and international event brand.

— billboard staff, Billboard, "Billboard Dance 100 Artists of 2018: The Complete List," 22 Mar. 2018
Democrats invested in ads spelling out Ms. Ives’ conservative bona fides late in the campaign in the hopes of derailing the governor’s bid for a second term.

— douglas belkin, WSJ, "Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner to Face Democrat J.B. Pritzker in General Election," 21 Mar. 2018
With works mounted in museums, galleries, and public squares of the mazelike district of Patan, Photo KTM has become a bona fide international event, attracting some 400,000 visitors and sponsors like Instagram and the National Geographic Society.

— the editors, Outside Online, "The 25 Trips You Need to Take This Year," 20 Mar. 2018
Called the Fair Play for Cuba Committee, the group's New Orleans chapter in reality wasn't a bona fide group at all, having only one member — Oswald.

— ed brackett, USA TODAY, "JFK files: 15-year lawsuit over mysterious CIA agent drags as final files await release," 19 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bona fides.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Bona fides looks like a plural word in English, but in Latin, it's a singular noun that literally means "good faith." When bona fides entered English, it at first stayed very close to its Latin use - it was found mostly in legal contexts and it meant "honesty or lawfulness of purpose," just as it did in Latin. It also retained its singular construction. Using this original sense one might speak of "a claimant whose bona fides is unquestionable," for example. But in the 20th century, use of bona fides began to widen, and it began to appear with a plural verb in certain contexts. For example, a sentence such as "the informant's bona fides were ascertained" is now possible.

Origin and Etymology of bona fides

Latin, literally, good faith

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1665

See Words from the same year

BONA FIDES Defined for English Language Learners

bona fides

noun

Definition of bona fides for English Language Learners

: evidence which shows that what you have said about yourself is true : evidence showing that you deserve a position or that you can be trusted

Law Dictionary

bona fides

noun bo·na fi·des \ ˌbō-nə-ˈfī-ˌdēz, commonly ˈbō-nə-ˌfīdz \

legal Definition of bona fides

: good faith

the fact that the plaintiff conducted an investigation demonstrated its bona fides
—Jeannette Glass Co. v. Indemnity Ins. Co. of North America, 88 A.2d 407 (1952) (dissent)