noun · academic
credibility
/ˌkrɛdəˈbɪlɪti/cre·di·BIL·i·ty
the quality of being trusted and believed in
Examples
“The credibility of the study was damaged when errors were found in the data.”
“Building credibility with voters requires consistent and transparent communication.”
“Experts questioned the credibility of the claim because it lacked supporting evidence.”
Band 8 sentence
“Once an institution loses credibility, restoring public trust requires sustained transparency and concrete reform, not just verbal apologies.”
Collocations
- damage credibility
- establish credibility
- credibility with consumers
- question the credibility of
Word family
Common mistakes
The report has not enough credibility.→The report lacks credibility.
We need more credibility evidence before publishing.→We need more credible evidence before publishing.
Say it for a higher band
5trust→6trustworthiness→7+credibility
Synonyms
trustworthiness
believability
Easily confused
reliability
“The reliability of the instrument was proven through repeated trials.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In -ity
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