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
Abandoning his blue-collar bona fides is not smart politics: While Mr. Biden’s approval rating hovers near historic lows, approval of labor unions is reaching historic highs.
—
Matthew Miles Goodrich, The New Republic, 6 Mar. 2023
Still, others haven't shed their traditional foreign policy bona fides.
—Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 3 Mar. 2023
Simpson, by contrast, goes straight to the Confederacy, as a source of both personal and ideological bona fides.
—Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 25 Feb. 2023
What the album does not have are any songs that lean on Nashville songwriting conventions, as did some of the earlier songs that helped establish Price’s country bona fides.
—James Sullivan, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Feb. 2023
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Matthew Miles Goodrich, The New Republic, 6 Mar. 2023
Still, others haven't shed their traditional foreign policy bona fides.
—Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 3 Mar. 2023
Simpson, by contrast, goes straight to the Confederacy, as a source of both personal and ideological bona fides.
—Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 25 Feb. 2023
What the album does not have are any songs that lean on Nashville songwriting conventions, as did some of the earlier songs that helped establish Price’s country bona fides.
—James Sullivan, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Feb. 2023
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 3 Aug. 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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