creditableadj.
/ˈkrɛdɪtəbl/, U.S. /ˈkrɛdədəbəl/ I. General senses.
1. Deserving to be believed; believable; credible.Now commonly regarded as erroneous by usage writers.
1888 J. Gibson Man. Eng. Lang. App. B. 76 What is the difference in meaning between..definite and definitive, credible and creditable,..expedient and expeditious?
2003 C. Soanes & A. Stevenson Oxf. Dict. Eng. (ed. 2) 406/2 Confusion often arises between the words credible and creditable.
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the mind > mental capacity > belief > belief, trust, confidence > credibility > [adjective]
leaffulc1275
levelya1300
trowablea1340
believablea1382
leveable1382
credible?c1400
creable1480
faithworthy?1526
creditworthy1554
credent?a1579
creditable1594
persuadable1617
persuasible1638
swallowable1818
the mind > mental capacity > belief > belief, trust, confidence > credibility > [adjective] > of persons
credible1420
authentical1550
creditable1594
the mind > mental capacity > belief > belief, trust, confidence > credibility > [adjective] > of evidence or information
good1340
crediblea1393
creditable1594
1594 J. Sylvester tr. O. de la Noue Profit of Imprisonment sig. A3v A Paradox no doubt more trew, then creditable, The which my selfe sometimes haue also thought a fable.
1638 W. Chillingworth Relig. Protestants i. Pref. §43 Records farre more creditable then these.
1671 A. Woodhead in tr. Life St. Teresa Pref. sig. a Persons, sufficiently creditable, and perfectly informed.
1762 J. Winthrop in Philos. Trans. 1761 (Royal Soc.) 52 8 The most distinct account I have had of it, was from a creditable person at Roxbury.
1807 Salmagundi 2 June 226 A church-yard, which at least a hundred creditable persons would swear was haunted.
1831 T. Russell Wks. Eng. Reformation III. 192 ‘Neither it is creditable’, (saith he) ‘that all which are cast into hell should straightway go to heaven, therefore must we put a purgatory.’
1862 A. J. Munby Diary 16 Aug. in D. Hudson Munby (1972) 135 From lips like hers, the Paleian philosophy sounds creditable.
1923 Humorist 8 Sept. 170/1 (caption) My old man's a one, miss, I give you my word. Some of the tricks 'e gets up to ain't ardly creditable.
1992 Buffalo (N.Y.) News (Nexis) 8 Nov. (Sports) 5 Another unconfirmed but creditable rumor making its way through the league centers on Lemieux, his contract and his remarkable start.
2011 C. Haythornthwaite & R. Andrews E-learning Theory & Pract. ii. 34 The notion that learning is a private, psychological act that only takes place in the brain or the mind of an individual is one that is scarcely creditable.
2. Respectable, decent, reputable, presentable. Now passing into sense 3.
a. In respect of social position or character.
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the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > reputation > good repute > reputability or honourableness > [adjective] > respectable
substantious1490
proper1600
creditable1624
decent1712
respectable1750
gradely1763
pukka1776
nice1799
salonfähig1905
quite1907
resp1922
1624 W. Laud Answere Fishers Relation 7 in Bp. F. White Replie to Iesuit Fishers Answere All the good they desired in the Church, fell to dust, for want of creditable persons to backe and support it.
1651 J. Worthington Diary 29 Apr. in Diary & Corr. (1847) I. 42 None of us did apprehend him fit: he seeming to be slovenly, no creditable person, & having before & since his coming to the College been observed to fuddle.
1688 G. Miege Great French Dict. ii. sig. O/1 This Suit of yours is a creditable Suit, cet Habit est honnête.
1765 O. Goldsmith Ess. xxv. 224 This gentleman was born of creditable parents, who gave him a very good education.
1779 J. Moore View Society & Manners France II. xcv. 426 A Frenchman in a creditable way of life.
1825 L. L. Cameron Proper Spirit in Houlston Tracts I. ix. 7 To set a poor lad, like you, to teach creditable children.
1860 T. P. Thompson Audi Alteram Partem (1861) III. cv. 14 It was once my fortune to serve with two Russian midshipmen; very creditable lads they were.
1957 G. Heyer Sylvester v. 47 It was impossible for such a thoroughgoing sportsman as Tom to maintain a creditable appearance at Oxford on a penny less than six hundred pounds a year.
1987 J. Klein Our Need for Others Preamble p. xv Otherwise creditable psychological thinking took it for granted that we begin in life as individuals.
b. In respect of quality.
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the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > reputation > good repute > reputability or honourableness > [adjective] > specifically of things or actions
worthyc1300
honest1340
honourablea1393
laureate1535
reputable1659
creditable1740
defamelessa1814
smutchless1853
1740 S. Richardson Pamela II. 352 A creditable Silk for my dear Mother.
1872 A. Trollope Golden Lion of Granpere ix. 53/2 Was that lot of wine which she had persuaded her uncle to buy of a creditable quality?
1919 C. Williams-Ellis Cottage Building in Cob Introd. 17 The wall..was able to receive the roof, for which happily the local builder found some material, and not only did the wall stand, but showed a very creditable exterior.
2001 E. L. Flood Charmed Legacy of Merlin 67 The Trelawney has a creditable garden, quite creditable indeed. May I show you these over here?
3. That brings credit or honour; that does a person credit; praiseworthy.
a. Without construction. Now usually in weaker sense: commendable, but not necessarily outstanding or successful.
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the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > reputation > good repute > [adjective] > bringing credit or honour (to)
honest1340
worshipful1340
honourable?a1400
graceful1595
honorary1606
dignifying1630
creditablea1639
creditable1655
a1639 W. Whately Prototypes (1640) xxii. 135 To lay aside the practise of ones grosser faults, and to frame to a civill carriage and to a creditable behaviour, though still the heart remaine vaine and earthly.
1660 R. Allestree Gentlemans Calling 33 It is become a creditable thing, the badge and signature of a modern Wit, thus to be one of Davids fooles, in saying there is no God.
1691 J. Hartcliffe Treat. Virtues 89 Whatsoever is just, honest, and Creditable.
1720 H. Purefoy Let. 9 July (1931) II. 440 I am sure 't is a much more pleasant, creditable estate than any that has been sold hereabouts.
1828 W. Scott Fair Maid of Perth vii, in Chron. Canongate 2nd Ser. II. 205 Did he not maintain an honest house..and keep a creditable board..?
1840 T. B. Macaulay Ld. Clive 62 Clive made a creditable use of his riches.
1900 W. Tuckwell Reminisc. Oxf. viii. 114 So, with the bow-oar unmanned, the race began, the crew hopeless of more than a creditable defeat.
1955 Times 25 May 11/4 What is to prevent the team, moving at a creditable rate of knots, being mixed?
2010 Daily Tel. 27 Aug. 30/6 Victory, or a creditable performance, wouldn't just boost our confidence and happiness as a country.
b. With to.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > reputation > good repute > [adjective] > bringing credit or honour (to)
honest1340
worshipful1340
honourable?a1400
graceful1595
honorary1606
dignifying1630
creditablea1639
creditable1655
1655 J. Lightfoot Harmony New-Test. 121 The jealousie that he had that he should not finde all things at Corinth so comfortable to himself, and so creditable to them, before those that should come with him, as he desired.
1748 S. Richardson Clarissa IV. xvi. 74 For reasons, I think, very far from being creditable to thyself.
1826 T. Bewick Hist. Brit. Birds (ed. 6) I. 157 Mr. Selby's..splendid work [on ornithology] so creditable to his zeal in the cause of science.
1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. 43 The places..were filled in a manner creditable to the government.
1918 D. Haig Diary 21 Mar. in War Diaries & Lett. (2005) 390 I consider that the result of the day is highly creditable to the British troops.
1960 P. Farmer in J. P. Bury Zenith of European Power, 1830–70 (1971) xvii. 464 No more creditable to the emperor was the outcome of the French intervention in Mexico.
1999 N. Duncan Sexual Bullying Introd. 7 It was creditable to the individuals concerned, and indicative of their confidence in their staff and pupils, that permission was given.
4. Attributable to.
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the world > existence and causation > causation > attribution or assignment of cause > [adjective] > attributable or imputable
longc1300
referrible1576
referable1583
imputable1635
ascriptive1649
attributary1650
attributable1661
due to1669
ascribable1671
assignable1673
accountable1681
creditable1862
1862 Athenaeum 3 May 604/1 This little drama is creditable to the authorship of Capt. Morton Price, who himself played Marshal Sachet.
1904 Rep. Librarian Congress 32 Many documents creditable to that period can be judged to be so and assigned to their proper group only by internal evidence.
1977 Contributions Asian Stud. 10 5 Swami Shivagan Chand..to whom is creditable much of the early organizational activity of the Kayastha Conference.
2003 Asset Protection & Security Managem. Handbk. (POA Publishing LLC) ii. 47 If the corporate staff proposes the standard under which a local alarm system is installed, and if that alarm system effectively prevents a theft, is the avoided loss creditable to the local security program or to the corporate program?
II. Business and Finance.
5. Deserving or qualified to receive financial credit, creditworthy.In quot. 1710 perhaps representing sense 2.
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society > trade and finance > management of money > solvency > [adjective] > creditworthy
creditworthy1554
creditable1710
1710 J. Broughton Vindic. & Advancement National Constit. & Credit ii. 39 The Bank has a Power of discounting Bills of Exchange; which they have done at 4 per Cent. to creditable Merchants, especially those well known to them.
1776 A. Smith Inq. Wealth of Nations I. ii. ii. 371 The creditable traders of any country. View more context for this quotation
1817 J. Mill Hist. Brit. India II. v. viii. 670 On receiving the security of creditable bankers for the balance which the Nabob owed to the Company.
1822 J. Flint Lett. from Amer. 108 Banks that were creditable a few days ago, have refused to redeem their paper in specie.
1900 Banker's Mag. 60 279 Any creditable customer of a bank wanting the privilege of making his own checks current everywhere at par, would go to his banker, make a deposit to the extent he desired a clearing-house credit, and secure the regulation check.
1981 National Jrnl. (U.S.) (Nexis) 15 Aug. 1448 The newly industrialized countries that have become creditable borrowers continue borrowing to finance the development of their export industries.
2008 G. W. Keith Father of Hollywood viii. 86 HJ planned to attract creditable business ventures to his town.
6. That can be offset against an amount of money owed or due; (of money paid) capable of being offset against a tax liability.
ΚΠ
1914 L. R. Dicksee Mines Accounting & Managem. v. 28 Each Note may represent expenditure chargeable against one kind of Operating expense, and creditable against one Stores Account.
1933 Pop. Aviation Apr. 209/3 25c creditable against subscription price if second individual copy is not purchased.
1967 Times 16 Nov. 24/2 This tax is creditable against that due on the resale of your import.
2004 E. R. Larkins Internat. Applic. U.S. Income Tax Law xi. 212 The FTC allows U.S. persons to offset creditable taxes against their U.S. tax liabilities.
Compounds
creditable-looking adj.
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1735 London Daily Post 24 Sept. 1/2 Her Majesty having given Leave for all Creditable looking People to be permitted to see Merlin's Cave in Richmond Gardens, there is a very great Resort every day.
1831 C. G. F. Gore Tuileries I. xix. 305 He perceived at some distance before him a group of four or five dragoons riding from the high road towards a creditable-looking farm-house.
1901 F. T. Bullen Deep-sea Plunderings (1902) 302 He managed after several failures to turn out half a dozen quite creditable-looking patches of fried batter.
2006 N. Shapiro What Love means to you People viii. 104 He wanted very much to show off his creditable-looking friend to Hannah.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2013; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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adj.1594