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

Funding used in high school for more than 29 credit hours will reduce scholarship eligibility after high school by one year, and more than 59 credit hours will reduce eligibility by two years. —Edward McKinnon, Arkansas Online, 4 Sep. 2025

Lawrence recalled that person allegedly made the allowance of the extra year of eligibility null and void, possibly because KU had several war veterans who would have benefited and been favored to win the league in 1948. —Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2025

The eligibility dates for the 2024 Emmy Awards apply to shows that aired between June 1, 2024, and May 31, 2025. —Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025

The issue of eligibility for boosters is still unsettled. —Judy Stone, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 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