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Believer Posted 20 years ago
Vocabulary

credence or credibility

I was watching news and heard the phrase "give credence to something." I want to ask you if that phrase can be replaced with "give credibility to something." To put it differently, what is the difference between the words "credibility" and "credence"?
  

Top answer

Credence is in the mind of the skeptic; credibility is a characteristic of the object, event or statement. Give no credence to I would call a stock phrase / idiom. I give no credence to (= I do not believe) his assertion that the moon is made of green cheese.

— Mister Micawber

  • Credence is in the mind of the skeptic; credibility is a characteristic of the object, event or statement.
  • Give no credence to I would call a stock phrase / idiom.
  • I give no credence to (= I do not believe) his assertion that the moon is made of green cheese.
  • The assertion that the moon is made of green cheese has no credibility (= is not believable) .
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1 Answers
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Credence is in the mind of the skeptic; credibility is a characteristic of the object, event or statement. Give no credence to I would call a stock phrase / idiom.

I give no credence to (= I do not believe) his assertion that the moon is made of green cheese.
The assertion that the moon is made of green cheese has no credibility (= is not believable).
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