legible
Americanadjective
-
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
-
(of handwriting, print, etc) able to be read or deciphered
-
able to be discovered; discernible
Other Word Forms
- legibility noun
- legibly adverb
- unlegible adjective
Etymology
Origin of legible
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin legibilis; equivalent to leg(ere) “to read” + -ibilis -ible
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.
For Justin Gausman, who co-hosts TCBCast, a podcast devoted to Presley, one of the movie’s triumphs is that it makes the singer’s “artistic process legible and accessible to anyone.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026
In “Vaccine Flag,” a vertical banner arcs gracefully across a soft gradient of L.A. haze, but the banner’s fabric is so tattered and decayed that its advertisement for vaccines is barely legible.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2026
A "for sale" sign is barely legible at the top, its letters faded by sun and salt air.
From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026
"It shook the conscience of this court as not even a word or a letter was legible," he wrote in the order.
From BBC • Sep. 30, 2025
He studied the letter and the few legible words that remained.
From "Beyond the Bright Sea" by Lauren Wolk
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.
