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.

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 on the Web

Interrupters are a key aspect to the model, responding when violence breaks out, helping to quell tensions and using their connections and credibility on the streets — which often includes past criminal justice involvement themselves. — Darcy Costello, The Courier-Journal, "Interrupters, libraries, Youth Detention: Who won and who lost in council's budget changes," 20 June 2019 When dealers attacked Ford’s credibility in the marketplace, Farley listened. — Phoebe Wall Howard, Detroit Free Press, "A man who can build a car by hand leads Ford into future; 'He’s just never afraid'," 19 June 2019 Thanks to an unusual circumstance in Gainesville, homesickness in Austin and the omnipresent transfer portal, the Pac-12 salvaged some credibility from the 2019 recruiting cycle. — Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, "Hotline newsletter: With Bru McCoy and Chris Steele secure at USC, the Pac-12 recruiting haul gains luster," 19 June 2019 In late 2010, Russia were awarded the 2018 tournament and Qatar the 2022, and here began the attacks on Platini's credibility. — SI.com, "Michel Platini: The Former UEFA President's Controversial Career in Football Politics," 18 June 2019 To add credibility to its promise, broken in the past, to keep social and financial data strictly separate, Facebook has created a subsidiary, Calibra, to run Libra services within its apps. — The Economist, "Facebook wants to create a digital currency," 18 June 2019 And Trump gave her a hero's farewell on Thursday... Sanders had no credibility left. — Brian Stelter, CNN, "With Sarah Sanders leaving, who will take over as White House press secretary?," 14 June 2019 Journalism badly needs this infusion of vitality and credibility. — Muhammad Idrees Ahmad, The New York Review of Books, "Bellingcat and How Open Source Reinvented Investigative Journalism," 10 June 2019 The Monitor has built a reputation in the journalism world over the past century for the integrity, credibility and fair-mindedness of its reporting. — The Christian Science Monitor, "What is The Christian Science Monitor?," 7 June 2019

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.