Credibleness

cred·i·ble  (krd-bl)

adj.

1. Capable of being believed; plausible. See Synonyms at plausible.

2. Worthy of confidence; reliable.

3. Being of sufficient military capability to deter an attack or carry out an operation successfully: credible military force.

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[Middle English, from Latin crdibilis, from crdere, to believe; see kerd- in Indo-European roots.]

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credi·ble·ness n.

credi·bly adv.

Usage Note: Credible is widely but incorrectly used where credulous would be appropriate. Credulous means "believing too readily" or "gullible," as in He was credulous (not credible) enough to believe the manufacturer's claims.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

credibleness - the quality of being believable or trustworthy believability, credibility quality - an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone; "the quality of mercy is not strained"--Shakespeare authenticity, genuineness, legitimacy - undisputed credibility rigour, validity, cogency, rigor - the quality of being valid and rigorous plausibility, plausibleness - apparent validity cred, street cred, street credibility - credibility among young fashionable urban individuals