# visibility

/ˌvɪzəˈbɪɫɪti/ (US) · /vˌɪzəbˈɪlɪti/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/visibility
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. clarity of sight

noun · CEFR B2

how far you can see based on the weather or light.

For teachers: the degree to which things may be seen, specifically the distance at which objects can be clearly identified under certain atmospheric conditions.

- The heavy fog meant that visibility on the road was less than ten metres.
- The pilot decided to delay the landing because visibility had dropped below the safety threshold required for a manual approach.

Usage: often used with 'good', 'poor', or 'low'

### 2. public awareness

noun · CEFR B2

how much people notice or know about a person, a company, or an issue.

For teachers: the state of being noticed or prominent in the public eye or within a specific market.

- The new advertising campaign helped increase the brand's visibility among young shoppers.
- The activist argued that the documentary provided much-needed visibility for the challenges faced by rural communities.

Teaching tip: Commonly used in marketing and social media contexts.

### 3. programming scope

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

the parts of a computer program where a specific piece of information can be seen or used.

For teachers: the scope within which a variable, function, or object is accessible or can be referenced directly.

- If you change the variable's visibility to private, other classes cannot access it.
- The developer adjusted the visibility of the internal methods to ensure that the API remained encapsulated and secure from external interference.

Usage: often refers to 'private', 'protected', or 'public' access levels

## Examples

- The thick fog made visibility very poor on the road.
- The marketing team is working on a new campaign to increase the brand's visibility on social media.
- Despite the high-altitude conditions, the pilot maintained enough visibility to identify the landing strip through the breaking clouds.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.