# credence

/ˈkɹidəns/ (US) · /kɹˈɛdəns/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/credence
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. belief or acceptance

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

the belief that something is true or valid.

For teachers: the acceptance of a statement, theory, or claim as true or valid, especially when supported by evidence.

- The new evidence gave credence to his claim that he was innocent.
- The discovery of the original manuscript lent significant credence to the historian's controversial theory regarding the treaty's origins.

Usage: Commonly used in the collocations 'give credence to' or 'lend credence to'.

### 2. liturgical table

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical · Formal

a small table used in a church to hold the bread and wine for a service.

For teachers: a small side table, often placed near the altar, used to hold the elements of the Eucharist before they are consecrated.

- The priest placed the silver cups on the credence before the service began.
- The ornate marble credence stood to the right of the high altar, holding the cruets and the basin for the ritual washing of hands.

Usage: Usually appears as 'credence table' in modern ecclesiastical contexts.

### 3. probability estimate

noun · CEFR C2 · Academic · Technical

how likely you think something is to be true, shown as a number.

For teachers: a subjective probability estimate representing a person's degree of belief in a specific proposition.

- The scientist assigned a high credence to the theory based on the data.
- In Bayesian epistemology, a credence is a numerical representation of an agent's confidence in the truth of a hypothesis.

Usage: Common in philosophy and statistics.

## Examples

- The new evidence gives credence to his story.
- The government refused to give any credence to the rumours of a secret deal with the opposition.
- While the initial report was dismissed as a conspiracy theory, subsequent leaks from the ministry lent significant credence to the whistleblower's allegations.

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