validity

noun

va·​lid·​i·​ty və-ˈli-də-tē 

va-

: 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

Hudak indicated in Friday’s news conference that police are looking into the validity of the document. — Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026

And as with the actual Stanford prison experiment, questions of ethics and scientific validity are sidelined in favor of getting splashy results by any means necessary. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2026

Kennedy questioned the validity of the deaths and criticized Shapiro's handling of the situation, while Shapiro accused Kennedy of spreading misinformation. — Finch Walker, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026

As part of his plea deal, Kohberger waived the right to appeal, but that does not preclude him from filing a new case challenging the validity of his agreement. — Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1577, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for validity

• acidity
• aridity
• avidity
• cupidity
• fluidity
• humidity
• liquidity
• lucidity
• morbidity
• placidity
• rancidity
• rapidity

Kids Definition

validity

noun

va·​lid·​i·​ty

və-ˈlid-ət-ē, 

va-

: the quality or state of being valid