apparently reasonable, valid, truthful, etc: a plausible excuse apparently trustworthy or believable: a plausible speaker
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
plau•si•ble /ˈplɔzəbəl/USA pronunciation
adj.
plau•si•bly, adv.: argued plausibly that he couldn't have gotten there any earlier.See -plaud-.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- having an appearance of truth or reason; credible;
believable:a plausible excuse.
plau•si•bly, adv.: argued plausibly that he couldn't have gotten there any earlier.See -plaud-.
plau•si•ble
(plô′zə bəl),USA pronunciation adj.
plau′si•bil′i•ty, plau′si•ble•ness, n.
plau′si•bly, adv.
- 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.
- Latin plausibilis deserving applause, equivalent. to plaus(us) (past participle of plaudere to applaud) + -ibilis -ible
- 1535–45
plau′si•bly, adv.
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged 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).
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged honest, sincere.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'plausible' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
arguable
- colorable
- colour
- colourable
- convincing
- credible
- doughboy
- fair-spoken
- fluent
- glossy
- implausible
- knave
- likely
- plausive
- rationalize
- sophistry
- speciosity
- specious
- spiel
- stack
- swindle