plausible

[plaw-zuh-buhl]

adjective

1. having an appearance of truth or reason; seemingly worthy of approval or acceptance; credible; believable.

   a plausible excuse; a plausible plot.

   Antonyms: sincere, honest

2. well-spoken and apparently, but often deceptively, worthy of confidence or trust.

   a plausible commentator.

plausible

/ ˈplɔːzəbəl /

adjective

1. apparently reasonable, valid, truthful, etc

   a plausible excuse

2. apparently trustworthy or believable

   a plausible speaker

Other Word Forms

• plausibility noun
• plausibleness noun
• plausibly adverb
• nonplausibility noun
• nonplausible adjective
• nonplausibleness noun
• nonplausibly adverb
• overplausible adjective
• overplausibleness noun
• overplausibly adverb
• superplausible adjective
• superplausibleness noun
• superplausibly adverb
• unplausible adjective
• unplausibleness noun
• unplausibly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of plausible¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of plausible¹

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

Synonym Study

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).

Example Sentences

“But it is not remotely plausible to think that Congress intended to adopt that expansive definition,” the state said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Analysts at UBS think the plan to build 11 gigawatts of power generation at the site over the next dozen years is plausible given the intense demand.

Read more on Barron's

The International Rescue Committee helped her file paperwork for every plausible path for resettlement.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The research examines how extraordinarily difficult it would be for organized biological information to form under plausible prebiotic conditions.

Read more on Science Daily

Based on these details, researchers concluded James was the "most plausible" candidate.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• conceivable 
• credible 
• logical 
• persuasive 
• possible 
• probable 
• tenable 
• valid