credence

American  

[kreed-ns] / ˈkrid ns /

noun

1. belief as to the truth of something.

   to give credence to a claim.

   Synonyms:

   confidence, faith, credit

2. something giving a claim to belief or confidence.

   letter of credence.

3. Also called credenza, credence table. Ecclesiastical. a small side table, shelf, or niche for holding articles used in the Eucharist service.

4. Furniture. credenza.

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credence British  

/ ˈkriːdəns /

noun

1. acceptance or belief, esp with regard to the truth of the evidence of others

   I cannot give credence to his account

2. something supporting a claim to belief; recommendation; credential (esp in the phrase letters of credence )

3. short for credence table

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Other Word Forms

• noncredence
  noun

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Etymology

Origin of credence

1300–50; Middle English < Middle French credence < Medieval Latin crēdentia. See credent, -ence

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Explanation

Credence means truthfulness, or believability. A video of a funnel cloud entering Central Park would give credence to rumors of a tornado in Manhattan. Generally, credence is given to an idea or topic by something else. You'll see it often coming after words like lend, give, and impart. When something is given credence, it is made more believable. But it can also be used like this: Mary talked a lot about the poltergeist in her house. To most, her story had little credence, but I like a good ghost story, and so, decided to believe.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

credence

How much credence a court gives to both the guideline range versus the commentary details matters a lot in a case like Beiard’s, as it can mean the difference of years worth of prison time.

From Slate ● Oct. 18, 2026

Lee also noted that the company’s recent consumer-facing events — such as AIPCon 11, the company’s AI conference earlier this month — have given further credence to management’s messaging around AI.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

This week, faculty wrote that his words lent credence to false accusations against the symposium and wrongly suggested that the lawyer or the organizers supported her client’s alleged crimes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

A nine-year-old chip still running and generating sales also gives some credence to the idea that chips are viable assets to lend against.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

She wasn’t one to give credence to hell, and was braced for the truth.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

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