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
Decades later, these could be misread as badges of effortless cool, an archive of one’s subcultural bona fides.
—
Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2025
Oppenheim, Braun and Bremner, of course, also have the entertainment bona fides to back up the venture, with Oppenheim having served as screenwriter for films like Jackie and The Maze Runner, and having served as the president of NBC News.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 9 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile, Sinners’s awards bona fides were established from the bottom up, thanks to the passion of regular viewers.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2025
Most of this was due to political realities – the state legislature is GOP-controlled – but with Democratic voters prioritizing candidates with strong anti-Trump bona fides, Shapiro’s head-down approach may hurt him in the primaries.
—Douglas Schoen, Oc Register, 23 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bona fides
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Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2025
Oppenheim, Braun and Bremner, of course, also have the entertainment bona fides to back up the venture, with Oppenheim having served as screenwriter for films like Jackie and The Maze Runner, and having served as the president of NBC News.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 9 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile, Sinners’s awards bona fides were established from the bottom up, thanks to the passion of regular viewers.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2025
Most of this was due to political realities – the state legislature is GOP-controlled – but with Democratic voters prioritizing candidates with strong anti-Trump bona fides, Shapiro’s head-down approach may hurt him in the primaries.
—Douglas Schoen, Oc Register, 23 Nov. 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 17 Dec. 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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