plausible
Americanadjective
-
apparently reasonable, valid, truthful, etc
a plausible excuse
-
apparently trustworthy or believable
a plausible speaker
Related Words
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).
Other Word Forms
- nonplausibility noun
- nonplausible adjective
- nonplausibleness noun
- nonplausibly adverb
- overplausible adjective
- overplausibleness noun
- overplausibly adverb
- plausibility noun
- plausibleness noun
- plausibly adverb
- superplausible adjective
- superplausibleness noun
- superplausibly adverb
- unplausible adjective
- unplausibleness noun
- unplausibly adverb
Etymology
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; applaud, -ible
Compare meaning
How does plausible compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
"The impact of industrial fishing has been intensifying... and it's plausible that they will go extinct in the near future."
From BBC
"You could go back to the Middle Ages - when people are dominated, they use absurdity to speak the truth a little bit and still have plausible deniability."
From BBC
All of this is at least a plausible outline for a cease-fire, but Russia is unlikely to accept it.
While the transition at the Fed holds risks for Bessent, another arguably more plausible scenario is that he will find himself newly empowered.
From Barron's
It is plausible those were shots from another vehicle 30 to 40 yards away, according to the analysis.
Definitions 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.
