plausible

adjective

plau·​si·​ble ˈplȯ-zə-bəl 

1

: superficially fair, reasonable, or valuable but often deceptively so

a plausible pretext

2

: superficially pleasing or persuasive

a swindler …  , then a quack, then a smooth, plausible gentleman

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

3

: appearing worthy of belief

the argument was both powerful and plausible

plausibleness noun

plausibly

ˈplȯ-zə-blē 

adverb

Did you know?

You Can Believe This History of Plausible

Put your hands together for plausible, a word with a sonorous history. Today the word usually means "reasonable" or "believable," but its origins lie in the sensory realm, rather than that of the mind. In fact, plausible comes to us from the Latin adjective plausibilis, meaning "worthy of applause," which in turn derives from the verb plaudere, meaning "to applaud or clap." Other plaudere words include applaud, plaudit (the earliest meaning of which was "a round of applause"), and explode (from the Latin explodere, meaning "to drive off the stage by clapping"). Will the evolution of plaudere continue? Quite plausibly, and to that we say "Bravo."

Synonyms

• believable
• credible
• creditable
• likely
• presumptive
• probable

Examples of plausible in a Sentence

In our solar system, the biggest moon is Jupiter's Ganymede, which has a mass only 2.5 percent that of Earth—too small to easily hang on to an Earth-like atmosphere. But I realized that there are plausible ways for moons approaching the mass of Earth to form in other planetary systems, potentially around giant planets within their stars' habitable zones, where such moons could have atmospheres similar to our own planet. —René Heller, Scientific American, January 2015

I watch the ospreys who nest on Perch Island high atop their white spruce. Our sense of a plausible summer depends much on their diligent success at nest-building and procreation, and on their chicks fledging in late August. —Richard Ford, Wall Street Journal, 14-15 June 2008

… I'd mastered the quick size-up. Does the person seem agreeable over coffee at the drugstore counter and picking up his mail at the post office, drive a plausible vehicle, and know the weather forecast? —Edward Hoagland, Harper's, June 2007

… string theorists can exhibit plausible models of a unified Universe, but unfortunately they cannot explain why we inhabit a particular one. —Michael Atiyah, Nature, 22-29 Dec. 2005

it's a plausible explanation for the demise of that prehistoric species

Recent Examples on the Web

This spiraled into a multi-stage interrogation of three other brothers where a plausible story was developed. —Caleb Harris, Austin American-Statesman, 13 Dec. 2024

Both the majority and the dissenters advance plausible arguments regarding the legality of Southern’s pricing practices under the RPA. —Alden Abbott, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024

So just sniffing that out and really finding out whether that's a plausible line is really what's on his mind at the moment. —Dalton Ross, EW.com, 11 Dec. 2024

These movies were designed to turn audiences on, but their baroque plots supplied a degree of plausible deniability, while the involvement of A-list actors lent a level of prestige: Douglas’s filmography alone includes intimate encounters with Close, Sharon Stone, and Demi Moore. —Alex Barasch, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin plausibilis worthy of applause, from plausus, past participle of plaudere

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

plausible

adjective

plau·​si·​ble ˈplȯ-zə-bəl 

1

: seemingly fair, reasonable, or valuable but often not so

a plausible excuse

2

: appearing worthy of belief

the argument was both plausible and powerful

plausibility

ˌplȯ-zə-ˈbil-ət-ē

noun

plausibly

ˈplȯ-zə-blē 

adverb

Etymology

from Latin plausibilis "deserving applause, pleasing," from plausus, past participle of plaudere "to clap" — related to applaud, explode, plaudit see Word History at explode

Word Origin

A plausible explanation is one that sounds as if it could be true. Such an explanation is not usually greeted with applause, but the origin of plausible suggests that it might be. Plausible comes from the Latin word plausibilis, meaning "worthy of applause." The first use of plausible in English was to describe a person or thing that deserved special praise. That use is now obsolete. To call something plausible now is to praise it only slightly, if at all.