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Synonyms

implausible

American  
[im-plaw-zuh-buhl] / ɪmˈplɔ zə bəl /

adjective

  1. An image of the word implausible as defined by not plausible; not having the appearance of truth or credibility.

    not plausible; not having the appearance of truth or credibility.

    an implausible alibi.

    Synonyms:
    unbelievable, improbable, unlikely

implausible British  
/ ɪmˈplɔːzəbəl /

adjective

  1. not plausible; provoking disbelief; unlikely

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of implausible

First recorded in 1595–1605; im- 2 + plausible


Explanation

Something that's implausible is farfetched or unlikely. If it's 3 pm and you still have to study for three exams and write an essay before midnight, it’s implausible that you’ll also have time to watch a movie. The adjective implausible breaks down into im, meaning “not,” and plausible, meaning "likely." So it simply means "not likely." Implausible ideas or stories usually get high marks for creativity, but they're just too crazy to be believable. But as philosopher René Descartes noted, “One cannot conceive anything so strange and so implausible that it has not already been said by one philosopher or another.”

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Vocabulary lists containing implausible

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.

See Examples For:

It can be implausible, but it’s more often intriguing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

When the skin has collapsed into your palm like a deflated balloon, you lift the box grater and discover an almost implausible amount of ruby pulp underneath it.

From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2026

Ms. Goldberg supplies another dose of sugar with an ending that’s simultaneously sweet, predictable and implausible.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

"AI memory demand remains ferocious, supply remains tight, and the major memory makers are enjoying margins that would have looked implausible only a few years ago."

From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026

It is utterly implausible that all of this evidence could have been faked, so I am quite certain that Rome exists.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

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