Mérvadó

Mérvadó is a Hungarian adjective meaning credible, authoritative, or well-founded. The term is used to describe statements, sources, or conclusions that rest on solid evidence, sound reasoning, or authoritative testimony. In journalism, designating a source as mérvadó signals that the information has been verified or corroborated and is likely trustworthy. In academic, legal, and policy contexts, mérvadó evidence or mérvadó arguments meet established standards of reliability and relevance for the field or case.

Common collocations include mérvadó forrás (credible source), mérvadó bizonyíték (substantial or weighty evidence), mérvadó állítás (well-supported claim), and mérvadó döntés (authoritative decision). The term functions as a higher-level assessment than mere truth claims and is often contingent on methodological criteria such as source transparency, methodological rigor, and reproducibility.

Origin and usage: Mérvadó is native to Hungarian and is widely used across media, education, and public discourse. It denotes compatibility with accepted norms of evidence rather than popularity or authority alone.

See also: credibility, evidence-based reasoning, source criticism, fact-checking.

References: Standard Hungarian language dictionaries and usage guides define mérvadó as credible or weighty.