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
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.
Before then we did not have to be visually legible to be socially recognizable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
He walked into that disciplinary process already legible.
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
It’s really no surprise that his first film in 10 years would arrive with its thematic commentary just as legible.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026
In Season 2, we needed the franchise to be legible.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026
The letter, written in a pleasingly legible script, was dated April 28, 1958, at which time the recipient had been imprisoned for approximately two years: Dearest Bro.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
