eligibility

noun

el·​i·​gi·​bil·​i·​ty ˌe-lə-jə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

: the quality or state of being eligible : fitness or suitability to be chosen, selected, or allowed to do something

The applicants must meet all requirements for eligibility.

… should "Shoeless Joe" Jackson, of "Black Sox" infamy, also be granted eligibility for the Hall of Fame?

—David A. Kaplan

Mass mailings go out to low-income areas, and if a letter is returned as undeliverable, the party uses it to challenge that voter's eligibility.

—Sasha Abramsky

Examples of eligibility in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In 1980, to avoid a strike, an agreement between MLB and the MLBPA changed the eligibility for players' health coverage to just one game day and 43 game days for monthly benefits. —Nick Coppola, USA Today, 19 July 2025

The losses are tied to federal funding cutbacks and will be felt in agency efforts to help lower-income Arizonans assess eligibility for benefits including SNAP or the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program. —Russ Wiles, AZCentral.com, 18 July 2025

The Village Board made way Tuesday for a feasibility study to determine the eligibility of properties within the shopping center for a TIF district. —Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2025

The lawsuit claims the rule imposes burdensome and expensive paperwork and will force consumers to spend millions to prove eligibility for coverage and subsidies. —Reuters, NBC news, 17 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing eligibility

• re-eligibility

Rhymes for eligibility

• acceptability
• accessibility
• adaptability
• admissibility
• advisability
• affordability
• allowability
• amenability
• amiability
• appealability
• applicability
• availability