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

Barrett had written that Roberts had “pushed the Affordable Care Act beyond its plausible meaning to save the statute.”
Amy Coney Barrett’s cagey testimony | Aaron Blake | October 14, 2020 | Washington Post
I talked one over with Delton Chen, who wrote a very plausible, convincing paper.
Kim Stanley Robinson Holds Out Hope - Issue 90: Something Green | Liz Greene | October 7, 2020 | Nautilus
I know the leadership and government has made a lot of threats, but I’m not sure how plausible they are.
‘Ignore all of the politics’: Confessions of a DTC exec on the continued uncertainty of TikTok | Kristina Monllos | October 2, 2020 | Digiday
The facility would be useless without a pipeline connecting it to the rest of the United States, and the only plausible route was through private lands like Gow’s ranch.
It’s His Land. Now a Canadian Company Gets to Take It. | by Lee van der Voo for ProPublica | October 1, 2020 | ProPublica
Based on other evidence, that’s a very plausible scenario for November.
We’ve Had 56 Statewide Elections During The Pandemic. Here’s What We Learned From Them. | Nathaniel Rakich (nathaniel.rakich@fivethirtyeight.com) | October 1, 2020 | FiveThirtyEight

By a large margin, it's the youngest women they believe they can plausibly nab.
Heartache by the Numbers and OkCupid’s Founder Has Got Yours | Will Doig | October 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Without Shazam, you can plausibly take credit for having written and performed any song you happen to hear on the radio.
Aubrey Plaza’s Great Disconnect | Aubrey Plaza | August 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Could anyone plausibly argue that this was anything but irresponsible parenting?
Wake Up, Parents: Letting Your Kid Tan Is Like Letting Them Smoke | Russell Saunders | June 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Keep your hand raised if you actually live in a state that might plausibly elect a Republican to congress.
Memo: The Aaron Sorkin Model of Political Discourse Doesn't Actually Work | Megan McArdle | April 23, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
All things are also equally plausibly required or forbidden.
Hamas: The Palestinian Fashion Police | Hussein Ibish | April 9, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
It must be admitted that they are very naturally worked out and very plausibly presented.
Growing Up | Jennie M. Drinkwater
Several causes are plausibly attributed by the records and their interpreters to this opposition.
The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, Volume 5 | Hubert Howe Bancroft
The wary Frenchmen presented their claims very plausibly, but failed to win the approbation of the equally wary Indians.
Ocean to Ocean on Horseback | Willard Glazier
The reason being, that she fought now on plausibly good grounds: on behalf of her independent action.
Lord Ormont and his Aminta, Complete | George Meredith
The cannibals talked so eloquently and plausibly to them, that the savages withdrew and left them in peace.
Stanley's Adventures in the Wilds of Africa | Joel Tyler Headley and William Fletcher Johnson

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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