bona fides
noun
bo·na fi·des
ˌbō-nə-ˈfī-ˌdēz 
nonstandard
ˈbō-nə-ˌfīdz
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
Did you know?
Bona fides looks like a plural word in English, but in Latin it is a singular noun that literally means "good faith." When bona fides entered English, it at first stayed very close to its Latin use, and it also kept its singular form—for example, "a claimant whose bona fides is unquestionable." But in the 20th century, use of bona fides began to widen, and it began to appear with a plural verb in certain contexts, such as "the informant's bona fides were ascertained."
Examples of bona fides in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Upon returning to Gainesville two years ago—this time as a University of Florida employee—Judin said he was driven by his desire to help students develop their sport media branding and sponsorship bona fides before launching into the professional world.
—
Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 19 Sep. 2025
It’s produced by Jordan Peele‘s Monkeypaw Productions, an auteur-run production shingle that guarantees a certain amount of social-thriller bona fides and smarts.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 19 Sep. 2025
This isn’t a show that needed to add Tim Meadows as a cocksure, bird-blind federal agent to establish its comedic bona fides.
—Brian Grubb, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025
An unexpected summit While Hochul was affirming her capitalist bona fides, Mamdani took the extraordinary step of meeting with Mike Bloomberg, the billionaire businessman and former mayor known for his centrist politics.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bona fides
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Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 19 Sep. 2025
It’s produced by Jordan Peele‘s Monkeypaw Productions, an auteur-run production shingle that guarantees a certain amount of social-thriller bona fides and smarts.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 19 Sep. 2025
This isn’t a show that needed to add Tim Meadows as a cocksure, bird-blind federal agent to establish its comedic bona fides.
—Brian Grubb, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025
An unexpected summit While Hochul was affirming her capitalist bona fides, Mamdani took the extraordinary step of meeting with Mike Bloomberg, the billionaire businessman and former mayor known for his centrist politics.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bona fides
Cite this Entry
“Bona fides.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bona%20fides. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
bona fides
noun
bo·na fi·des
ˌbō-nə-ˈfī-ˌdēz, commonly ˈbō-nə-ˌfīdz
: 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)
Jeannette Glass Co. v. Indemnity Ins. Co. of North America, 88 A.2d 407 (1952) (dissent)Etymology
Latin
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