accredit
gb/əkɹˈɛdɪt/ us/əkɹˈɛdɪt/
C1
English
~ 6100
Senses
0 senses
Verb
formal
C1
action
1
officially recognize as meeting standards
To officially say that a school, program, or organization is good enough to meet set rules or standards.
Usage pattern:
[authority] accredits [organization/program] (as [something])
Common mistake:
Learners often confuse "accredit" with "credit". "Accredit" is used for official recognition (usually by an authority), while "credit" is used for praise, money in an account, or course units at a school. Another common mistake is using "accredit" as a noun (e.g., *"It has an accredit"*); the correct noun is "accreditation".
Synonyms
certify (Often used when confirming that specific standards or tests have been passed, not only for institutions but also for people and products.)
|
authorize (More general word for giving official permission or power, not limited to standards or quality.)
|
license (Focuses on giving legal permission to operate, especially for businesses and professionals.)
Antonyms
disqualify (Shows that an organization or person is officially judged as not meeting the standards.)
|
revoke (Emphasizes taking away accreditation or authorization that was previously given.)
Collocations
accredit an institution
|accredit a program
|properly accredited
|fully accredited
|accredited by [authority]
|accrediting body
Themes
education
|business
|law
|government
Examples
- The national council decided to accredit three new universities this year.
- Our engineering program is accredited by an international professional body.
- Only accredited laboratories are allowed to perform these safety tests.
- The hospital was finally accredited as a teaching facility after a long review.
- They refused to accredit any course that did not meet their ethical guidelines.
Learner examples
- The medical school is accredited by the government.
- You should choose a course that is fully accredited.
- This college was accredited last year after a long check.
- Only accredited centers can give this exam.
- The program is not accredited, so some companies may not accept it.
Verb
formal
C2
action
2
officially appoint a diplomat abroad
To officially make a diplomat the representative of a country to another country or to an international group.
Usage pattern:
[state/leader] accredits [diplomat] to [state/organization]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this diplomatic sense with the general authorization sense used for schools and organizations. In this sense, "accredit" is usually used with diplomats and is often followed by "to" plus the name of a country or organization (e.g., "accredited to Brazil").
Synonyms
appoint (General word for choosing someone for a job; does not include the specific legal and international procedures implied by "accredit".)
|
nominate (Focuses on proposing someone for a role; accreditation is the final official recognition, not just a proposal.)
Antonyms
recall (In diplomatic language, this means to officially call a diplomat back from a foreign posting, ending their role there.)
|
dismiss (To remove someone from their position so they no longer represent the country.)
Collocations
accredit an ambassador
|accredit a diplomat
|accredited to [country]
|accredited to the UN
|newly accredited ambassador
Themes
government
|international
|law
|politics
Examples
- The president will accredit the new ambassador to Japan next month.
- She was accredited to the European Union after serving in several other posts.
- Three foreign envoys were formally accredited to the palace in a ceremony this morning.
- He is currently accredited to both the African Union and the United Nations in Geneva.
- The government refused to accredit the proposed envoy because of his past statements.
Learner examples
- He was accredited to France as an ambassador.
- The new ambassador was accredited to the United Nations.
- Several diplomats were accredited to the capital today.
- She will be accredited to the country next year.
- The king accredited a special envoy to the neighboring state.
Verb
formal
C2
action
3
attribute an action or quality to
To say or believe that a person or thing is responsible for a result, quality, or idea.
Usage pattern:
[result/idea] is accredited to [someone/something]; [someone] is accredited with [achievement/quality]
Common mistake:
Learners often use "accredit" here where "credit" or "attribute" is more common in modern English. For example, "He is credited with the discovery" sounds more natural than "He is accredited with the discovery". Also, learners may mix up the prepositions: use "accredited to" when focusing on the person receiving the attribution ("The quote is accredited to her"), and "accredited with" when focusing on what they did ("She is accredited with the discovery").
Synonyms
attribute (The most common modern verb for saying that something is caused by or belongs to someone; slightly less formal than "accredit" in many contexts.)
|
credit (Commonly used in "credit with"; often sounds more natural in modern English than "accredit" for this meaning.)
Antonyms
disown (Used when someone refuses to accept that an action, idea, or statement comes from them.)
|
deny (To say that someone is not responsible for or does not deserve an action or quality that others attribute to them.)
Collocations
accredit to [someone]
|accredited with the discovery
|accredited with bringing about
|widely accredited to
Themes
history
|writing
|opinion
|communication
|education
Examples
- The theory is usually accredited to a 19th‑century philosopher.
- This phrase is often wrongly accredited to Shakespeare.
- She is widely accredited with introducing major reforms to the company.
- The invention was long accredited to him, although later research proved otherwise.
- Several scientific breakthroughs are accredited to the team working in that small laboratory.
Learner examples
- The quote is often accredited to that writer.
- Many people accredited the success to her hard work.
- The idea was wrongly accredited to our team.
- He was accredited with starting the project.
- The victory was accredited to the coach's new plan.
Grammar
Dictionary form
accredit
IPA
GB/əkɹˈɛdɪt/
US/əkɹˈɛdɪt/
Syllables & stress
ac - cred - it (3 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (cred)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: accredit
- 3rd Person Singular: accredits
- Present Participle: accrediting
- Past: accredited
Word family
Forms
accredits
verb
accrediting
verb
accredited
verb
Core family
accreditation
noun C1
Negative and opposite forms
unaccredited
adjective
Advanced or less common
accreditor
noun
Expressions
be accredited to [a country/organization]
1/bˈi əkɹˈɛdɪtɪd tə ə kˈaʊntɹiɚɡənɪzˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
formal
hold diplomatic status in a country
To officially serve as a country's representative to another country or to an international group.
Examples
- She is accredited to Germany as her country's ambassador.
- The envoy is also accredited to the African Union in Addis Ababa.
be accredited with [something]
1/bˈi əkɹˈɛdɪtɪd wˈɪθ sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
formal
regarded as responsible for something
To be said or believed to have done something or to have caused a result.
Examples
- The minister is widely accredited with restoring public trust in the system.
- This architect is accredited with designing many of the city's famous buildings.