validity

noun

va·lid·i·ty | \ və-ˈli-də-tē ,

va- \

Definition of validity

: the quality or state of being valid: such as

a : the state of being acceptable according to the law The validity of the contract is being questioned. What the federal courts have ruled … is that renunciations made behind barbed wire were essentially under duress, and thus of no legal validity. —Roger Daniels

b : the quality of being well-grounded, sound, or correct the validity of an argument/theory Other researchers have questioned the validity of the test results. Later he acknowledged that there was no validity to his report. —David Hiltbrand

Examples of validity in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Police were investigating the origins and validity of the initial 911 call. — Ryan W. Miller, USA TODAY, "A police officer pointed his gun at 4 unarmed, black teens. Now police are investigating," 12 July 2018 Gilead’s pious versions of Romeo and Juliet refuse to deny the validity of their love. — refinery29.com, "The Handmaid's Tale Recap Season 2, Episode 12: Gilead's Romeo & Juliet," 4 July 2018 Their decision affirmed the validity of these people’s experience. — John Timpane, Philly.com, "Eliza Griswold's 'Amity and Prosperity': Fracking, profit, and human costs in western Pa.," 28 June 2018 And some embrace the potential validity of gaming disorder, while urging further study. — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, "Why Is There a ‘Gaming Disorder’ But No ‘Smartphone Disorder?’," 28 June 2018 The biggest validity for the comparison is in both cases, the Bulls are trying to build with young assets. — K.c. Johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Bulls Q&A: Is Wendell Carter Jr. the right pick? Will Zach LaVine be re-signed?," 27 June 2018 While a handful of other groups also used law firms to file public comments, the joint submission by the corporate owners of the apartment complexes was the only one that questioned the legal validity of the entire process. — Geoff Baker, The Seattle Times, "From Mathew Barzal to expansion talk, Seattle was Hockeytown in past week," 24 June 2018 Some companies also assert that such contributions increase the productivity of their employees, although the validity of this assertion is doubtful. — Robert Pozen, Fortune, "Having Too Much Employer Stock in Your 401(k) Is Dangerous. Just Look at GE," 20 June 2018 Giuliani, who, aside from Trump himself, has been the most public face of the President's efforts to challenge the validity of the Mueller probe, made similar remarks to Fox News' Sean Hannity the night before. — Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN, "Giuliani calls for halt of Mueller probe after Justice Department report," 15 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'validity.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.