Definition of "credential" [cre•den•tial]

• That which entitles one to confidence, credit, or authority. (noun)
• Evidence or testimonials concerning one's right to credit, confidence, or authority: The new ambassador presented her credentials to the president. (noun)
• Usage Problem To supply with credentials: "trained, professional, credentialed child care” ( Lee Salk). (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "My main writing credential is that I run Superhero Nation, a writing advice website that has had 150,000 readers in the past two years."
• "And he says Palin's national security credential is that she “knows more about energy than probably anyone else” in the entire USA."
• "Why would you count on radio djs to pick the music, when their only real credential is that they were willing to jump through some training hoops and caffeinate themselves through a first-term early morning shift?"