Reputation

Reputation

Noun · /ˌrepjuˈteɪʃən/ · the general opinion or belief that is held about someone or something; the regard in which a person or thing is commonly held

Definition

Reputation is the collective opinion others hold about you — what they say when you are not in the room. It is formed over time through actions, decisions, and the impressions you leave behind. A reputation can be good or bad, earned or unearned, fragile or resilient. It precedes you, follows you, and outlives you. You cannot control it directly, but everything you do either builds it or erodes it.

Origin

From Latin reputatio — a reckoning, a counting over, a consideration. The root reputare means to reckon or think over repeatedly. It entered English in the late 14th century through Old French. The idea is that reputation is not a single judgement but a repeated reckoning — the accumulated weight of how others have thought about you across many moments and encounters.