accreditation

American

[uh-kred-i-tey-shuhn] / əˌkrɛd ɪˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

the act of giving official authority or approval, or the resulting status; certification.

Today they officially opened the process of accreditation for media wanting to cover World Youth Day.
the act of certifying an educational institution or program as meeting all official formal requirements of academic excellence, facilities, curriculum, etc.; the status of being so certified.

Universities applying for membership in the association must have undergone, at the national or regional level, a process of quality assurance or accreditation.
the act of attributing or ascribing some quality, status, or action to a person or thing.

His other poems added to his accreditation as a first-class poet.

Other Word Forms

reaccreditation noun

Etymology

Origin of accreditation

accredit ( def. ) + -ation ( def. )

Explanation

Accreditation is the act of granting credit or recognition, especially to an educational institution that maintains suitable standards. Accreditation is necessary to any person or institution in education that needs to prove that they meet a general standard of quality. If you earn a teaching certificate, then you have an accreditation to teach. Usually you'll hear this word in relation to institutions like colleges and universities.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing accreditation

Believe It or Not: Cred

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

cred

Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!

Selection Vocabulary 3, Unit 1

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

City Council budget hearing last year that the Toronto Zoo lost its accreditation in 2012 by sending its elephants to a sanctuary at the direction of the Toronto City Council.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

The diplomat has had their accreditation revoked and been ordered to leave the country within two weeks.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

Lebanon withdrew the accreditation of Iran's ambassador and gave him until Sunday to leave the country.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

The infrastructure for competitive private accreditation already exists.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 17, 2026

As a rule, he didn’t trust myths and folktales; they lacked accreditation.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023