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
Besides their Chicago bona fides, Hancock and Elling are both affiliated with organizations training jazz’s next generation — respectively, the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz and the Ravinia Festival, which houses the Steans Music Institute.
—
Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
In the final scene of season three’s premiere, Akinnuoye-Agbaje gets to show off his cowboy bona fides.
—Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 13 Apr. 2026
Colman Domingo put his considerable fashion bona fides into a sketch on last night’s Saturday Night Live about FIT students trying to describe the perpetrator of an armed robbery.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 12 Apr. 2026
As for his accolade bona fides, Clooney won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 2006 for Syriana, and won the Oscar Best Picture for producing Argo in 2016.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 8 Apr. 2026
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Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
In the final scene of season three’s premiere, Akinnuoye-Agbaje gets to show off his cowboy bona fides.
—Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 13 Apr. 2026
Colman Domingo put his considerable fashion bona fides into a sketch on last night’s Saturday Night Live about FIT students trying to describe the perpetrator of an armed robbery.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 12 Apr. 2026
As for his accolade bona fides, Clooney won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 2006 for Syriana, and won the Oscar Best Picture for producing Argo in 2016.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 8 Apr. 2026
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 22 Apr. 2026.
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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