credibility

The discrepancy between the lofty promises that a person makes and the resulting action or situation. The politician suffered a credibility gap regarding his claims about the economy's improvement because his constituents were still unable to find work.

a difference between what someone says about a situation and what you know or see is true There's a credibility gap developing between me and my builders. This is the third week they've told me they'll finish by Friday.

Distrust of a public statement or position, as in The current credibility gap at City Hall is the result of miscommunication between the mayor's office and the press . This term originated about 1960 in connection with the American public's disinclination to believe government statements about the Vietnam War. It soon was extended to individuals and corporations as well as government agencies to express a lack of confidence in the truth of their statements, or perception of a discrepancy between words and actions.