credible

adjective

cred·​i·​ble ˈkre-də-bəl How to pronounce credible (audio)
1
: offering reasonable grounds for being believed or trusted
credible evidence
a credible source
credible witnesses
gave a credible account of the accident
… said the threats were not deemed credible.Stephen Wall
2
: good enough to be effective
a credible job
… does a credible imitation of a ballet student's exercises, as well as a flapper's Charleston.Dany Margolies
often, specifically : of sufficient capability to be militarily effective
a credible deterrent
credible forces
credibly adverb

Did you know?

Credible evidence is evidence that's likely to be believed. A credible plan is one that might actually work, and a credible excuse is one your parents might actually believe. And just as credible means "believable", the noun credibility means "believability". (But we no longer use incredible to mean the literal opposite of credible, just as we no longer use unbelievable as the literal opposite of believable.) Since cred is short for credibility, "street cred" is the kind of credibility among tough young people that you can only get by proving yourself on the mean streets of the inner city.

Examples of credible in a Sentence

We've received credible information about the group's location. She does a credible job of playing the famous singer.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
While there have been no credible claims of fraud contributing to Donald Trump’s victory last week and the vote does not appear to have even been close, the election was marred by foreign interference, a commonplace occurrence in every U.S. election since 2016. Colin P. Clarke, The Mercury News, 12 Nov. 2024 The Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division continues to ask for the public’s assistance and is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for credible information that leads to Mischa Johnson’s recovery. Anna Turning, NBC News, 8 Nov. 2024 One online threat to shoot up a polling place in Detroit was deemed not credible. Detroit Free Press Staff, Detroit Free Press, 6 Nov. 2024 Ultimately, China cannot view Russia as a credible nuclear power, or partner, if Russia cannot secure its nuclear warheads away from military operations. William M. Moon, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for credible 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin credibilis, from credere — see credence

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of credible was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near credible

Cite this Entry

“Credible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/credible. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

credible

adjective
cred·​i·​ble ˈkred-ə-bəl How to pronounce credible (audio)
: offering reasonable grounds for being believed
a credible story
credibly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on credible

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