eligibility.

Qualification under the applicable conditions to receive something, participate or be considered.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• eligibility criteria
• eligibility for a benefit

On the page

Eligibility for the benefit depended on the stated circumstances at the relevant time.

The applicant met the eligibility criteria but still had to complete the required process.

Usage notes

Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: Usually uncountable. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: status distinction, institutional analysis, scope qualification, rights analysis. Disciplines: formal writing, institutional procedures, legal-administrative language. Commonness: moderately common.