legible
Americanadjective
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capable of being read or deciphered, especially with ease, as writing or printing; easily readable.
-
capable of being discerned or distinguished.
Anger was legible in his looks and behavior.
adjective
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(of handwriting, print, etc) able to be read or deciphered
-
able to be discovered; discernible
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of legible
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin legibilis; equivalent to leg(ere) “to read” + -ibilis -ible
Explanation
Legible describes readable print or handwriting. If someone tells you that your writing looks like "chicken scratch," it might not be legible, except to other chickens. Legible goes back to the Latin word legibilis, meaning "that can be read." If you can read someone's handwriting, it is legible. The person might not have perfect penmanship, but if you decipher the letters, the writing is legible. People's signatures are especially notorious for not being legible — that's why we often must print or type our names below.
Vocabulary lists containing legible
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Unit 4: Powerful Openings
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The Marvels
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Legible or not, that kind of thing was not to everyone's taste.
From Time Magazine Archive
Legible, clean-cut, comparatively cheap, these books demonstrated once for all the success of the new art, even though, for illuminated initials, they were still dependent on the hand of the scribe.
From The Age of the Reformation by Smith, Preserved
Inscribed above the portal, from afar, Conspicuous as the brightness of a star, Legible only by the light they give, Stand the soul-quickening words—Believe and Live.
From Life and Literature Over two thousand extracts from ancient and modern writers, and classified in alphabetical order by Richardson, John Purver
Inscribed above the portal from afar, Conspicuous as the brightness of a star, Legible only by the light they give, Stand the soul-quickening words—Believe and Live.’”
From The Wesleyan Methodist Pulpit in Malvern Sermons Preached at the Opening Services of the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, in 1866 by King, Knowles
"Legible comicality for stablin' a shailor-top!" stammers Joe, mimicking his brother.
From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 14, No. 83, September, 1864 by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
