bona fides

noun

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bo·na fi·des | \ ˌbō-nə-ˈfī-ˌdēz

, ÷ˈbō-nə-ˌfīdz

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

Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about bona fides

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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.

Examples of bona fides in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Wallen, born and raised in Sneedville in eastern Tennessee, determinedly checks off backcountry bona fides in nearly all 30 songs on his second album. — Jon Pareles New York Times, Star Tribune, "New music review: Morgan Wallen escapes to a rural Neverland fantasy," 21 Jan. 2021 Pizza: With dough and bona fides straight from New York City, this pizzeria brings big-city flavor to downtown San Antonio. — ExpressNews.com, "Express Briefing: SpaceX Starship chasers converge in South Texas," 21 Dec. 2020 In the meantime, Yang ticked off all the boxes to establish his Communist bona fides. — Barbara Demick, The Atlantic, "Uncovering the Cultural Revolution’s Awful Truths," 18 Dec. 2020 The sheriff touted his law-and-order bona fides, and GOP groups sought to make an issue out of Kulkarni’s drug arrest as a teen. — Tom Benning, Dallas News, "Republican Troy Nehls defeats Democrat Sri Preston Kulkarni to win open U.S. House seat in Texas," 3 Nov. 2020 In addition to his enjoyment of hockey, Drum has other Minnesota bona fides. — Rochelle Olson, Star Tribune, "New U.S. Bank Stadium GM John Drum comes with baseball, football, hockey credentials," 1 Dec. 2020 Sullivan has his own bona fides as a colonel in the Marine Corps Reserves and an assistant Secretary of State in the George W. Bush administration. — Larry Persily, The New Republic, "Alaska Offers Biden the Slimmest of Hopes for a Democratic Senate," 9 Nov. 2020 Her YouTube channel may boast nearly 15 million subscribers, but these days Singh’s bona fides come from a different space. — New York Times, "Lilly Singh’s Week: Pixar’s ‘Soul’ and ’90s Bollywood," 5 Jan. 2021 Rumors of a congressional run from a former Ohio state senator with major bona fides on the Left are taking shape. — Spencer Neale, Washington Examiner, "Nina Turner files for congressional bid in Ohio, FEC records show," 9 Dec. 2020

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.

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Last Updated

11 Feb 2021

Cite this Entry

“Bona fides.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bona%20fides. Accessed 22 Feb. 2021.

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More Definitions for bona fides

bona fides

noun

English Language Learners Definition of bona fides

formal : 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

See the full definition for bona fides in the English Language Learners 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)

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