Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Capable of being relied on; dependable.
  • adjective Yielding the same or compatible results in different clinical experiments or statistical trials.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • That may be relied on; fit or worthy to be relied on; worthy of reliance; to be depended on; trustworthy.
  • Synonyms Trustworthy, trusty.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Suitable or fit to be relied on; worthy of dependance or reliance; trustworthy.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Suitable or fit to be relied on; worthy of dependence or reliance; trustworthy
  • adjective signal processing Such that either a sent packet will reach its destination, even if it requires retransmission, or the sender will be told that it didn't
  • noun Something or someone reliable

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective conforming to fact and therefore worthy of belief
  • adjective worthy of reliance or trust
  • adjective worthy of being depended on

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Scottish raliabill, itself from to rely + -able

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word reliable.

Examples

  • Would not surprise me at all, however, I can state from personal experience that at least 1 of the big 3 U.S. car makers withhold data from these "black boxes" & have heard stories, from what I call reliable sources, that they have even gone to storage areas to remove them if a death was involved.

    Is Toyota hiding crash data? 2010

  • Terry Cunha says it's just better for America to get more of its oil from what he calls a reliable neighbor.

    An Oil Pipeline From Canada? Some Say 'No Way' 2010

  • They say will make it easier for small groups and individuals to buy what they call reliable insurance that these people will be able to trust.

    CNN Transcript Oct 15, 2009 2009

  • They say will make it easier for small groups and individuals to buy what they call reliable insurance that these people will be able to trust.

    CNN Transcript Oct 15, 2009 2009

  • She knew little about finance, so when a broker offered what he called a reliable venture with a modest return, she put the sum into two limited partnerships that invested primarily in real estate.

    Getting Rolled In 'Rollups' 2008

  • Kuwait-based Arab Times Editor-in-chief Ahmed al-Jarallah cites what he calls a reliable source saying a military strike against Iranian oil and nuclear facilities is planned before April to be launched from warships in the Persian Gulf that grow in number and readiness.

    A Review of The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine by Ilan Pappe 2007

  • Kuwait-based Arab Times Editor-in-chief Ahmed al-Jarallah cites what he calls a reliable source saying a military strike against Iranian oil and nuclear facilities is planned before April to be launched from warships in the Persian Gulf that grow in number and readiness.

    A Review of The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine by Ilan Pappe 2007

  • They're considering a system that would allow what they call reliable hearsay evidence in the trials when prosecuting terror suspects.

    CNN Transcript Jul 26, 2006 2006

  • ZAHN: Mr. Atwan, let's come back a moment to what you describe as your reliable sources.

    CNN Transcript Jul 16, 2002 2002

  • Algiers, the Algerian newspaper El Watan said, quoting what it called reliable sources.

    ANC Daily News Briefing 1995

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.