plausible

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈplɔːzɪbəl/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈplɔzəbəl/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(plôzə bəl)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
plau•si•ble /ˈplɔzəbəl/USA pronunciation   adj. 
  1. having an appearance of truth or reason; credible;
    believable:a plausible excuse.
plau•si•bil•i•ty /ˌplɔzəˈbɪlɪti/USA pronunciation  n. [uncountable]The story lacks plausibility.
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
plau•si•ble  (plôzə bəl),USA pronunciation adj. 
  1. having an appearance of truth or reason;
    seemingly worthy of approval or acceptance;
    credible;
    believable:a plausible excuse; a plausible plot.
  2. 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•bili•ty, plausi•ble•ness, n. 
plausi•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 / ˈplɔːzəbəl/
  1. apparently reasonable, valid, truthful, etc: a plausible excuse
  2. apparently trustworthy or believable: a plausible speaker
Etymology: 16th Century: from Latin plausibilis worthy of applause, from plaudere to applaudˌplausiˈbility, ˈplausiblenessˈplausibly
'plausible' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Collocations: a plausible [reason, explanation, theory], was not a very plausible ending, the ending was not very plausible, more...

Forum discussions with the word(s) "plausible" in the title:


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