credibility

noun cred·i·bil·i·ty \ ˌkre-də-ˈbi-lə-tē \

Definition of credibility

1 :the quality or power of inspiring belief

an account lacking in credibility

2 :capacity for belief

Her account exceeds credibility.

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Examples of credibility in a Sentence

The new evidence lends credibility to their theory.
The scandal undermined her credibility as an honest politician.
In this instance, the lawyer's job is to make the jury doubt the witness's credibility.

Recent Examples of credibility from the Web

Ludwig tells Gabriel, changing his account and leaving Ward and Holloway with questions about the story’s credibility.

— jeff truesdell, PEOPLE.com, "Natalee Holloway’s Dad Sets Up Undercover Sting: ‘We Need to Find Out What’s the Truth and What’s Not the Truth’," 27 Aug. 2017
Third, because universities and others on the left regularly shut down non-Left speech, the Left has lost a lot of moral credibility.

— dennis prager, National Review, "Sometimes the Good Guys Win," 15 Aug. 2017
The retrial raised questions about the credibility of one of the prosecution’s witnesses, a point that Mathew emphasized in his petition to the CCRC.

— suzi ring, Bloomberg.com, "Jailed Barclays Libor Trader Asks for Case to Be Reviewed," 14 Aug. 2017
For when a superpower makes such a threat and doesn’t follow through, its nuclear credibility — the cornerstone of our deterrence — is damaged well below the waterline.

— andrew sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump’s Reckless Nuclear Bluffing," 11 Aug. 2017
Perhaps the distant future in far-flung reaches of the galaxy is the best home for Besson’s fantastical whims, where a film is not bound by the conventions of credibility or anything else so boring and pedantic and terrestrial.

— richard lawson, HWD, "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets Is an Endearing, Eye-Popping Mess," 18 July 2017
The district thinks that open negotiations will increase the credibility and transparency of both the district and the unions, said T.C. Wallace, interim executive director of human resources and labor relations.

— paige cornwell, The Seattle Times, "Tukwila School Board opens union contract negotiations to the public," 17 July 2017
His tenure included a successful turnaround of P&G early in the Millennium and adds extra credibility to Peltz's bid.

— alexander coolidge, Cincinnati.com, "Hedge fund hires former P&G exec for siege," 17 July 2017
His comments provoked anger from his colleagues and caused jitters about Ireland's credibility on international markets.

— jennifer duggan / dublin, Time, "A Portrait of the Prime Minister As a Young Man," 13 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'credibility.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.