eligibility

noun

el·​i·​gi·​bil·​i·​ty ˌe-lə-jə-ˈbi-lə-tē How to pronounce eligibility (audio)
: 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 Donald Trump The Colorado Supreme Court agreed to take up an appeal of a state judge’s ruling allowing the former president to remain on the state’s primary ballot, in a battle over his eligibility to run for president again. Rebecca Davis O’Brien, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2023 Now the Bruins have to get up for Cal, a competent opponent that desperately wants to win the last Pac-12 contest between the programs and clinch bowl eligibility. J. Brady McCollough, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2023 An administrative law judge in Georgia found there was not enough evidence that Greene engaged in insurrection and should be kept off the ballot there, while Cawthorn's defeat in his primary ended the challenge to his eligibility. Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 20 Nov. 2023 After 10 games this season, his final one of eligibility, his 8.5 tackles per game are good for third in the Big 12. Tom Layberger, Forbes, 12 Nov. 2023 Indeed, the band deserves to go in its first year of eligibility – 2025 – a la Pearl Jam and Eminem. Jim Harrington, SPIN, 8 Nov. 2023 The Tigers has bounced back from a four-game losing streak with wins over Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Arkansas the past three weeks to gain bowl eligibility. Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 12 Nov. 2023 What a win means A victory is essential if SDSU is to keep alive its hopes of reaching six victories and extending its school-record bowl eligibility streak to 14 years. Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Nov. 2023 In order to stay within the traditional end of the TV season, wrapping up in May (which will also keep them within the Emmy eligibility window), many broadcast shows are eyeing shorter seasons consisting of 10-13 episodes, as mentioned above, instead of the usual 22-24. Emily Longeretta, Variety, 9 Nov. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'eligibility.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of eligibility was in 1651

Dictionary Entries Near eligibility

Cite this Entry

“Eligibility.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eligibility. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.

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