validity

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 The basic premise is that investors should rigorously test the validity of an investment idea — or rely on credible research that has done so — before putting their money behind it. — Washington Post, "When the Evidence Is Solid and the Returns Aren’t," 25 Sep. 2019 All of this may cast doubt on the validity of Mr Reed’s conviction, but none of it proves his innocence. — S.m. | New York, The Economist, "Texas plans to execute a man who says DNA evidence could exonerate him," 23 Sep. 2019 Both arguments have some validity but again, reports indicate this has already been worked out. — Andrew Brandt, SI.com, "Perspective on the Business Decisions Around Andrew Luck's Retirement From the NFL," 3 Sep. 2019 Questioning traditional Western civilization, culture, and materialism had some validity. — Los Angeles Times, "Calendar letters to the editor: Young Latinx musicians are carrying on a tradition," 30 Aug. 2019 Ollie Jay, associate professor of health sciences at University of Sydney and director of the thermal ergonomics lab, and his team wanted to test the validity of these public health recommendations. — Alice Park, Time, "Feeling the Heat? Here’s When Fans Can Help—And When They Don’t—According to Science," 6 Aug. 2019 The issue may be one where both sides have some validity to their claims. — Anna Washenko, Ars Technica, "OurPact returns to App Store, reviving debates about Apple’s impartiality," 12 July 2019 India’s traditionally liberal-minded Supreme Court will hear challenges to the validity of the law in January. — BostonGlobe.com, "“You just needed a trigger,” said Jasbir Singh, a Sikh information technology worker who joined the protests in Bangalore this past week. “In India, religion never decided your citizenship, and it should not in the future.”," 21 Dec. 2019 School election officials say state law gives them authority to check the validity of facts in the arguments, but not the names. — Lorraine Longhi, azcentral, "Is anyone checking the IDs on Scottsdale school election arguments? Residents found out: No.," 19 Oct. 2019

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.

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Last Updated

18 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Validity.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/validity. Accessed 22 January 2020.

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