plausible

[ plaw-zuh-buhl ]

See synonyms for: plausible plausibility plausibleness plausibly on Thesaurus.com

adjective

having an appearance of truth or reason; seemingly worthy of approval or acceptance; credible; believable: a plausible excuse; a plausible plot.
well-spoken and apparently, but often deceptively, worthy of confidence or trust: a plausible commentator.

Origin of plausible

First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin plausibilis “deserving applause,” equivalent to plaus(us) (past participle of plaudere “to applaud” + -ibilis adjective suffix; see origin at applaud, -ible

synonym study For plausible

1. Plausible, specious describe that which has the appearance of truth but might be deceptive. The person or thing that is plausible strikes the superficial judgment favorably; it may or may not be true: a plausible argument (one that cannot be verified or believed in entirely). Specious definitely implies deceit or falsehood; the surface appearances are quite different from what is beneath: a specious pretense of honesty; a specious argument (one deliberately deceptive, probably for selfish or evil purposes).

Opposites for plausible

1	honest, sincere

See antonyms for plausible on Thesaurus.com

Other words from plausible

plau·si·bil·i·ty, plau·si·ble·ness, noun
plau·si·bly, adverb
non·plau·si·bil·i·ty, noun
non·plau·si·ble, adjective
non·plau·si·ble·ness, noun
non·plau·si·bly, adverb
o·ver·plau·si·ble, adjective
o·ver·plau·si·ble·ness, noun
o·ver·plau·si·bly, adverb
su·per·plau·si·ble, adjective
su·per·plau·si·ble·ness, noun
su·per·plau·si·bly, adverb
un·plau·si·ble, adjective
un·plau·si·ble·ness, noun
un·plau·si·bly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use plausible in a sentence

While we’re still in the midst of vaccine development, it’s quite plausible that an attack could happen to stall the progress or run a vaccine trial off-course.
How bad actors could sabotage a COVID vaccine—and how that can be prevented | jakemeth | November 18, 2020 | Fortune
While this makes it slightly more plausible, the numbers are still way too high.
Presidential pollsters got it wrong, what are the implications for consumer research? | Greg Sterling | November 6, 2020 | Search Engine Land
That immense energy just barely qualified the flash as the first plausible FRB from the Milky Way.
Astronomers have traced mysterious radio waves to a source in our own galaxy | Charlie Wood | November 4, 2020 | Popular-Science
More frequent or disruptive lapses of attention “is one plausible explanation for why heavier media multitasking is correlated with poorer memory,” the team said.
Media Multitasking Is Ruining Our Memory. Can We Fix It? | Shelly Fan | November 3, 2020 | Singularity Hub
GPT-3 can now generate pretty plausible-looking text, and it’s still tiny compared to the brain.
AI pioneer Geoff Hinton: “Deep learning is going to be able to do everything” | Karen Hao | November 3, 2020 | MIT Technology Review

But I can comment on a few aspects of the plausibility of the story.
Did One Liberian Prostitute Give Ebola to Eight Soldiers? | Kent Sepkowitz | October 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Can she interpret the works of George Gershwin, Duke Ellington, and Cole Porter with plausibility?
Can Lady Gaga Do Jazz? | Ted Gioia | September 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Right now the first key to assessing the plausibility of this discovery is: what would float and what would not?
Mysterious Debris Near Australia Looks like MH370’s Wing | Clive Irving | March 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
So plausibility doesn't always matter—except when it's the characters who suddenly seem implausible.
‘Breaking Bad’s’ Latest Episode, “Confessions,” Epitomizes the Show’s Highs and Lows | Andrew Romano | August 26, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
The plausibility of an Alawite enclave, meanwhile, has been a subject for debate.
‘Scorched Earth’ Tactics Feared in Assad Fight With Rebels | Mike Giglio | October 2, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
They did not believe that absolute truth was attainable by man; and they attacked the prevailing systems with great plausibility.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume I | John Lord
The demand was enforced by considerations which were not without plausibility, and were presented in a seductive form.
The Loyalists of America and Their Times, Vol. 1 of 2 | Egerton Ryerson
The Duchess was admirable, in conversation, for neglecting everything not essential to her present plausibility.
The Awkward Age | Henry James
I find many facts which seem to indicate the plausibility of this idea.
The Book of Life: Vol. I Mind and Body; Vol. II Love and Society | Upton Sinclair
You have always been a plausible talker, and you have cloaked many criminal acts under that plausibility.
The Code of the Mountains | Charles Neville Buck

British Dictionary definitions for plausible

plausible

/ (ˈplɔːzəbəl) /

adjective

apparently reasonable, valid, truthful, etc: a plausible excuse
apparently trustworthy or believable: a plausible speaker

Origin of plausible

C16: from Latin plausibilis worthy of applause, from plaudere to applaud

Derived forms of plausible

plausibility or plausibleness, noun
plausibly, adverb

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

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