Credibility
/ˌkrɛdəˈbɪləti/
nounB2
Definition
Credibility means that people think someone or something is true, honest, or real. When you have credibility, others believe what you say or do because you seem trustworthy and reliable. It is important for people, information, or sources to have credibility to be accepted.
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See It in Action
The quality of being trusted or believed
- •The scientist's credibility increased after many successful experiments.
- •He lost credibility when people found out he lied.
- •News sources must have credibility to be respected by readers.
The ability of information or a person to be accepted as true or real
- •The credibility of the witness helped solve the case.
- •Without credibility, a story may seem false or unreliable.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "credibility" like "trust" (A1 word), but more about how believable or honest someone or something is
- ✓Picture a person telling a story and everyone listening carefully because they believe the story is true
- ✓It's the feeling you have when you trust a teacher or a news report because they seem honest and correct
- ✓Sounds like "CRED-uh-BILL-uh-tee" → imagine a bill (money) that is real and accepted everywhere, just like credibility means being accepted as true
- ✓Think of a detective in a story: if the detective has credibility, people listen to their clues and believe their ideas
- ✓NOT like "guess" (which is uncertain), credibility means you have good reasons to believe something is true
- ✓NOT like "lying" (not honest), credibility means honesty and truthfulness
- ✓NOT like "popularity" (being liked), credibility is about being believable, not just liked
Try Other Words
- •Trustworthiness: quality of being reliable and honest (Use when emphasizing honesty and reliability)
- •Believability: how easy it is to believe something (Use when focusing on how believable a story or fact is)
- •Reliability: ability to be depended on (Use when focusing on consistency and dependability)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: "cred-" (from Latin "credere" meaning to believe) + "-ibility" (a suffix meaning "ability to be")
- •Etymology: From Latin "credibilis," meaning "worthy of belief"
- •Historical development: Used since the 15th century to describe the quality of being believable or trustworthy
- •Modern usage: Commonly used in journalism, science, and everyday life to describe how believable or trustworthy a person or information is
Reflect & Connect
•How do you decide if a person or information has credibility in your daily life?
•Can something have credibility even if not everyone believes it? Why or why not?
Fill in the blanks
1.A good leader must have credibility to ___ the trust of their team.
2.When a person lies, they lose their credibility and people ___ to believe them.
3.Unlike popularity, credibility depends on being honest and ___, not just liked.
4.Scientists build credibility by showing ___ evidence and facts.
5.The credibility of a news report depends on the ___ of its sources.
6.People often check the credibility of information by looking for ___ or expert opinions.
7.Without credibility, a story may seem ___ or not true to the listeners.