credibility
C1Formal to neutral. Common in academic, political, business, and media discourse.
Definition
Meaning
The quality of being trusted and believed in.
The capacity, especially in politics, journalism, or public institutions, to inspire and maintain confidence, often based on perceived expertise, reliability, and integrity.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Refers to an abstract quality attributed to a person, institution, claim, or source. Often treated as a commodity that can be 'gained', 'lost', or 'damaged'.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage and meaning are identical. Minor potential spelling differences in derivative words (e.g., 'credible').
Connotations
Identical. Strongly associated with institutional trust (e.g., central banks, news media) and personal authority.
Frequency
Very high frequency in both varieties, with no significant disparity.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
The credibility of [SOURCE/INSTITUTION][PERSON]'s credibility as [ROLE]to lend/give credibility to [CLAIM]to have credibility with [AUDIENCE]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “credibility gap (a difference between claimed and actual facts)”
- “a crisis of credibility”
- “lend/give credibility to something”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to the trustworthiness of a company, its leadership, or its financial reports. 'The merger damaged the firm's credibility with investors.'
Academic
Pertains to the reliability of sources, research methods, or scholarly arguments. 'The study's small sample size affects its credibility.'
Everyday
Used regarding people's promises or stories. 'His excuse for being late had zero credibility.'
Technical
In statistics/risk assessment, refers to the confidence interval for a Bayesian probability (credibility interval).
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The new evidence credibilises the witness's account.
- They sought to credibilise their position with a detailed report.
American English
- The new evidence credibilizes the witness's account.
- They sought to credibilize their position with a detailed report.
adverb
British English
- He spoke credibly about the incident.
- The theory is credibly supported by the data.
American English
- He spoke credibly about the incident.
- The theory is credibly supported by the data.
adjective
British English
- The witness was highly credible.
- They needed a more credible alibi.
American English
- The witness was highly credible.
- They needed a more credible alibi.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I don't believe him; he has no credibility.
- The newspaper lost credibility after it published false stories.
- A scientist needs credibility for people to trust their work.
- The government's credibility has been severely undermined by the recent scandal.
- Her extensive experience in the field lends considerable credibility to her arguments.
- The central bank's credibility in controlling inflation is paramount for economic stability.
- The documentary's credibility hinges on the veracity of its primary source material.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of CREDibility – it comes from the Latin 'credo' meaning 'I believe'. If something has credibility, you can give it your CREDit, you believe in it.
Conceptual Metaphor
CREDIBILITY IS A VALUABLE POSSESSION (gain, lose, have); CREDIBILITY IS A FRAGILE OBJECT (damage, undermine, restore); CREDIBILITY IS A RESERVOIR (drain, erosion of).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct calque with 'кредибилити' – it's a barbarism. Use 'доверие', 'авторитет', 'достоверность', 'репутация' depending on context.
- Do not confuse with 'credit' (кредит) in financial sense.
- Note: 'credible' is 'заслуживающий доверия', not 'кредибельный'.
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect: 'His story had no credible.' Correct: 'His story had no credibility.' / 'His story was not credible.'
- Misspelling: 'credability'.
- Overusing in informal contexts where 'trust' would suffice.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'credibility' LEAST likely to be used?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is almost always uncountable. You do not say 'a credibility' or 'credibilities'. You can have 'a lot of credibility' or 'little credibility'.
'Credibility' is specifically about being believed and trusted, often in relation to truthfulness or expertise. 'Reputation' is broader, covering general public opinion, which can include trust but also fame, character, or quality.
Primarily for people, institutions, claims, and sources. It can be metaphorically extended to objects in phrases like 'the credibility of the data' or 'the experiment's credibility'.
A phrase originating in the 1960s, it describes a perceived discrepancy between official statements or promises (especially from a government) and the observable facts or outcomes.
Collections
Part of a collection
Leadership and Management
B2 · 46 words · Language for leading teams and managing organizations.
Media Analysis
B2 · 49 words · Critically analyzing media and information.
Advanced Communication
C1 · 47 words · Sophisticated language for professional communication.
Critical Thinking
C1 · 49 words · Vocabulary for structured logical reasoning and analysis.
Rhetoric and Argumentation
C2 · 49 words · Advanced tools of persuasion and argumentation.
Explore