reliability
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
- nonreliability noun
Etymology
Origin of reliability
Explanation
It's nice when someone compliments your reliability because it means they think you are dependable. Things that are known for reliability? Your best friend, sunrise, sunset and unfortunately also taxes. The word is a new one and didn't become common until after 1850 during the Industrial Revolution. Before things were mass produced, how reliable they were was not such an issue. Interesting fact: reliability is an American word, and the Brits scoffed at its new usage.
Vocabulary lists containing reliability
Monster
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Mechanical Engineering
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Structural Engineering
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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.
Once reliability testing is done, there will be another round of tests to ensure trains are integrated with fixed facilities such as elevators and stations, he said.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026
The capacity crunch has caused consternation among power users, forced companies to scuttle products and led to reliability problems.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
Particular concerns center on the reliability of valuation practices and the quality of disclosure, especially as funds scale and performance becomes harder to independently verify.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026
Without that knowledge, it is difficult to improve the performance and reliability of quantum systems.
From Science Daily • Apr. 8, 2026
What was at stake in the ‘Apology’ was not just the reasonableness of Christian faith, but the reliability of all the claims made by philosophers.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
