legibility

American  

[lej-uh-bil-i-tee] / ˌlɛdʒ əˈbɪl ɪ ti /

noun

1. Also legibleness the state or quality of being legible.

2. Also called visibility.  Typography. the quality of type that affects the perceptibility of a word, line, or paragraph of printed matter.

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Etymology

Origin of legibility

First recorded in 1670–80; legible + -ity

Example Sentences

User-friendly design can save lives by allowing for legibility and shared understanding, making it safer to run nuclear power plants, air traffic control towers, and robotic surgical systems.

From Slate • Apr. 4, 2026

For many designers, increasing the x-height is key to increasing legibility .

From BBC • Sep. 16, 2024

Mellissa Prunty, a senior lecturer in occupational therapy at Brunel University London, was part of a team that developed a way to measure and quantify the legibility of handwriting.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 26, 2023

There are so many layers to performance within a disabled art practice, because the disabled individual is constantly having to perform disabled legibility.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2023

I’d sacrifice legibility on the altar of speed.

From "Ugly" by Robert Hoge

Related Words

• accuracy
• brightness
• certainty
• directness
• lucidity
• precision
• purity
• simplicity
• transparency