Reputable means having a good reputation, being widely known and respected for honesty, quality, or reliability. A reputable doctor is one that other doctors recommend and patients trust. A reputable business keeps its promises and treats customers fairly, building trust over many years.

When a company is reputable, you can trust that its products will work as advertised and that it will stand behind them if something goes wrong. When a newspaper is reputable, it checks its facts carefully before publishing stories.

Reputation matters because it's earned slowly but can be lost quickly. A store might spend decades becoming reputable by treating every customer well, but a few dishonest actions could damage that reputation overnight. That's why reputable people and organizations protect their good names so carefully.

If someone tells you to “use a reputable source” for a research project, they mean find information from sources known for accuracy and honesty, like major encyclopedias, established newspapers, or expert authors. A reputable source has a track record you can verify and trust.