validity
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the quality of being based on truth or sound reasoning.
the state of being logically or factually sound; the quality of being well-grounded in evidence.
Simple“The lawyer questioned the validity of the witness's claims during the trial.”
In context“The researchers spent months gathering data to ensure the validity of their conclusions before submitting the paper for peer review.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
the state of being legally acceptable or official.
the state of being legally binding or officially acceptable under a set of rules.
Simple“The contract lost its validity after the deadline passed.”
In context“The court ruled that the document lacked legal validity because it had not been signed in the presence of a notary.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
how well a test or experiment actually measures what it says it is measuring.
the extent to which a concept, conclusion, or measurement is well-founded and corresponds accurately to the real world.
Simple“The scientists checked the validity of the test to make sure the results were correct.”
In context“Critics argued that the study lacked external validity, as the results from the small laboratory group could not be applied to the general population.”
Usage convergent validity · ensure validity · establish validity
“He is talking about limiting the validity of possession permits, and a possible amnesty to encourage those with unlicensed guns to hand them in.”
“The College Board devotes plenty of resources to what’s called predictive validity, examining whether the SAT truly measures what it’s supposed to: college readiness.”
From valid + -ity, borrowed from Middle French validité, from Late Latin validitas.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.