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[val-id] /ˈvæl ɪd/
sound; just; well-founded:
a valid reason.
producing the desired result; effective:
a valid antidote for gloom.
having force, weight, or cogency; authoritative.
legally sound, effective, or binding; having legal force:
a valid contract.
Logic. (of an argument) so constructed that if the premises are jointly asserted, the conclusion cannot be denied without contradiction.
Archaic. robust; well; healthy.
1565-75; < Latin validus strong, equivalent to val(ēre) to be strong + -idus -id4
Related forms
validly, adverb
validness, noun
nonvalid, adjective
nonvalidly, adverb
nonvalidness, noun
prevalid, adjective
prevalidly, adverb
quasi-valid, adjective
quasi-validly, adverb
Can be confused
valet, valid.
3. substantial, cogent. 5. logical, convincing. Unabridged
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Examples from the web for valid
  • There are valid legal and moral issues here, but there were also real-world questions without good answers.
  • Military discounts are not valid on all sailings and may be limited to a certain number of cabins.
  • The license must be valid and remain valid for the entire time they wish to rent the vehicle.
  • Most hotels require a valid credit card number to hold a reservation.
  • When so taken up, it is not to be abandoned without reason as valid, as fully and as extensively considered.
  • However, the reference is valid and useful in the context of the article.
  • The findings, they say, raise serious questions about the use of student evaluations as a valid measure of teaching quality.
  • If you're still in contract negotiations, you still need one of those valid excuses.
  • If you felt they were rude on the phone, that's certainly a valid reason for not wanting to work for them.
British Dictionary definitions for valid


having some foundation; based on truth
legally acceptable: a valid licence
  1. having legal force; effective
  2. having legal authority; binding
having some force or cogency: a valid point in a debate
(logic) (of an inference or argument) having premises and conclusion so related that whenever the former are true the latter must also be true, esp (formally valid) when the inference is justified by the form of the premises and conclusion alone. Thus Tom is a bachelor; therefore Tom is unmarried is valid but not formally so, while today is hot and dry; therefore today is hot is formally valid Compare invalid2 (sense 2)
(archaic) healthy or strong
Derived Forms
validly, adverb
validity (vəˈlɪdɪtɪ), validness, noun
Word Origin
C16: from Latin validus robust, from valēre to be strong
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for valid

1570s, "having force in law, legally binding," from Middle French valide, from Latin validus "strong, effective," from valere "be strong" (see valiant). The meaning "supported by facts or authority" is first recorded 1640s.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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valid in Technology

A dataflow language.
["A List-Processing-Oriented Data Flow Machine Architecture", Makoto Amamiya et al, AFIPS NCC, June 1982, pp. 143-151].
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