validity

noun

va·​lid·​i·​ty və-ˈli-də-tē How to pronounce validity (audio)
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 The board's validity is being disputed in court by a new board, elected in 2022 by community members and made up of Pompano Beach residents, most of whom have family buried in the cemetery. Gerard Albert, NPR, 1 Mar. 2024 The investigators did not find Cap and Culp’s complaints to hold any legal validity. Lux Butler, The Arizona Republic, 27 Feb. 2024 Still, Ascension maintained the validity of the charges. Quinn Clark, Journal Sentinel, 15 Feb. 2024 Political Pressures Won’t Beat Market Forces The anti-EV sentiment is not about the validity of the technology at all. James Morris, Forbes, 10 Feb. 2024 Under pressure from months of street demonstrations, the Modi government eventually pulled back from implementing the citizenship law—but more than four years later, the court has yet to rule on its constitutional validity. Vaibhav Vats, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2024 Barahona-Martínez was denied bond following her 2017 ICE arrest based on the Red Notice, with the immigration judge hearing no testimony or evidence of its validity, triggering her lengthy detention, court records show. Nicole Acevedo, NBC News, 22 Feb. 2024 House Republicans held a weekly closed-door meeting on Tuesday morning where Gallagher expressed concerns about the validity of impeaching Mayorkas. USA TODAY, 7 Feb. 2024 Eyes and ears will be fixed on PayPal’s Feb. 7 earnings to scrutinize the validity or hollowness of Chriss’s assertions carrying possible ramifications. Richard Torrenzano, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'validity.' 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

circa 1577, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of validity was circa 1577

Dictionary Entries Near validity

Cite this Entry

“Validity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/validity. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

validity

noun
va·​lid·​i·​ty
və-ˈlid-ət-ē,
va-
: the quality or state of being valid
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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