credibility gap

noun

1

a

: lack of trust

a credibility gap between generations

b

: lack of believability

a credibility gap created by contradictory official statements

—Samuel Ellenport

2

: discrepancy

the credibility gap between the professed ideals … and their actual practices

—Jeanne L. Noble

Example Sentences

There is a credibility gap between what the mayor says and what the people see happening in the city.

The fact that the new estimates are so wildly different from the initial numbers has created a credibility gap.

Recent Examples on the Web

Talk about a credibility gap! —Mike Masterson, Arkansas Online, 27 Dec. 2020

As the Pentagon Papers made clear, these capable leaders knew at some point that the war could not be won, but their continuous misinformation on the war’s progress created a cavernous credibility gap with the public that lingers to this day. —Michael Peregrine, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2023

There is a credibility gap because of past broken promises. —Dana Beltaji And Peter Prengaman, Anchorage Daily News, 21 Nov. 2022

That created a credibility gap between the clubhouse and the front office. —Peter Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Aug. 2022

This inability to clearly link marketing activities to revenue outcomes creates a credibility gap between marketing teams and the rest of the business. —Jim Mchugh, Forbes, 15 July 2022

Even beyond this yawning credibility gap, Biden’s total deterrence package was palpably inadequate. —John Bolton, Time, 9 Mar. 2022

And right now, administration officials are dealing with a credibility gap on the issue. —Jim Puzzanghera, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Nov. 2021

In an industry as complicated and high-stakes as healthcare, the implementation of artificial intelligence and machine learning comes with challenges that have created a credibility gap. —Seth Joseph, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2021

See More

Word History

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined at sense 1a