credo

noun

cre·​do ˈkrē-(ˌ)dō  ˈkrā- 

plural credos

: a guiding belief or principle : creed

Going forward is Iacocca's credo. If you don't go forward, he says, you go backward.

—Bill Powell

As both a gambler and an inventor, Ragozin relied only on his instincts and his talent … . Self-reliance became a credo.

—Jeff Coplon

In an age when Confucian ethics had become the official credo of the regime and the Buddhist sects were brought under strict government control, the most creative and gifted artists found inspiration in secular themes.

—John M. Rosenfield

Did you know?

Credo comes straight from the Latin word meaning "I believe", and is the first word of many religious credos, or creeds, such as the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed. But the word can be applied to any guiding principle or set of principles. Of course, you may choose a different credo when you're 52 than when you're 19. But here is the credo of the writer H. L. Mencken, written after he had lived quite a few years: "I believe that it is better to tell the truth than to lie. I believe that it is better to be free than to be a slave. And I believe that it is better to know than to be ignorant".

Synonyms

• creed
• cult
• faith
• persuasion
• religion

Examples of credo in a Sentence

the credo of the ancient Egyptians involved a variety of polytheism

we must abide by the simple credo that “The customer is always right”

Recent Examples on the Web

Their concern is that HTS’ bedrock Islamist credo, or simply a rank-and-file urge for revenge against the non-Sunni Muslim, Christian, and Druze communities whom the Assad regime courted, might breach Mr. Jolani’s assurances. —Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Dec. 2024

Brûlé is now disseminating his sophisticated take on the less-is-more credo in residential projects in New York, London, Madrid, Miami, Switzerland, and Canada. —The Editors Of Ad, Architectural Digest, 4 Dec. 2024

As Clemens and the artist clung to each other on the Telfar TV stage, surveying the room from the center of it all, the credo of the day came into full focus: energized, jubilant, and bracing for an exciting future. —Sam Falb, Vogue, 25 Nov. 2024

Horowitz cultivates these credos in his clients, yet his usual practice is to wrest books from the grip of one, bestow them into the hands of another, then wrest them back for a third. —Tad Friend, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin, I believe

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

credo

noun

cre·​do ˈkrēd-ō  ˈkrād- 

plural credos

: creed