Dictionary

plausible en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈplaː.zə.bəl/ Dublin
• /ˈplɔː.zə.bl̩/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈplɔː.zɪ.bl̩/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• [ˈplɑ.zɪ.bl̩] (Atlantic-Canada, General-American, cot-caught-merger)
• /ˈploː.zə.bəl/ (New-Zealand)
• /ˈplɑ.zɪ.bəl/ (Atlantic-Canada, General-American, cot-caught-merger)
• (California, Southern) audio
• /ˈploː.zɪ.bəl/ (Australia)

Etymology

From Latin plausibilis (“deserving applause, praiseworthy, acceptable, pleasing”), from the participle stem of plaudere (“to applaud”).

Meanings

1. Seemingly or apparently valid, likely, or acceptable; conceivably true or likely.
   • In short, the twin assumptions that syntactic rules are category-based, and that there are a highly restricted finite set of categories in any natural language (perhaps no more than a dozen major categories), together with the assumption that the child either knows (innately) or learns (by experience) that all rules are structure-dependent ( =category-based), provide a highly plausible model of language acquisition, in which languages become learnable in a relatively short, finite period of time (a few years). 1988, Andrew Radford, Transformative Grammar: A First Course, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 64:
   • a plausible excuse
   • Russian SPETSNAZ are irregular forces that operate covertly, providing the Russian government plausible deniability. 2014, “Little Green Men”: A Primer on Modern Russian Unconventional Warfare, Ukraine 2013–2014, Fort Bragg, North Carolina: The United States Army Special Operations Command, page 43:
2. Obtaining approbation; specifically pleasing; apparently right; specious.
   • a plausible pretext; plausible manners; a plausible delusion
3. (obsolete) Worthy of being applauded; praiseworthy; commendable; ready.
   • capable of receiving a plauſible Anſwer 1693, John Hacket, Scrinia reserata: a Memorial offered to the great Deservings of John Williams:
   • […] a coachman named Richard, who was described as a "sensible, well-behaved yellow boy, who is plausible and can read and write." 1955, William H. Townsend, Lincoln and the Bluegrass: Slavery and Civil War in Kentucky:

Forms

Antonyms

far-fetched · unbelievable · incredible · implausible

Deriveds

nonplausible · implausible · semiplausible · plausibly · overplausible · plausibleness · plausible deniability · plausible denial · unplausible · plausibility

Synonyms

credible · reasonable · tenable · believable · specious

Translations (76)

ru аргументи́рованный (likely, acceptable) · es plausible (likely, acceptable) · ka დამაჯერებელი (likely, acceptable) · pl wiarygodny (likely, acceptable) · fi uskottava (obtaining approbation) · nl plausibel (likely, acceptable) · es plausible (worthy of being applauded) · ru прие́млемый (likely, acceptable) · fr plausible (likely, acceptable) · ka მოსალოდნელი (likely, acceptable) · gv so-chredjallagh (likely, acceptable) · uk пристойний (obtaining approbation) · de plausibel (likely, acceptable) · ro plauzibil (likely, acceptable) · et tõenäoline (likely, acceptable) · pl prawdopodobny (likely, acceptable) · eo kredebla (likely, acceptable) · sh prihvatljiv (likely, acceptable) · gl plausíbel (likely, acceptable) · cs věrohodný (likely, acceptable) · pl godny pochwały (worthy of being applauded) · ru правдоподо́бный (likely, acceptable) · cs hodnověrný (likely, acceptable) · sv rimlig (likely, acceptable) · hi मुमकिन (likely, acceptable) · pl do przyjęcia (likely, acceptable) · gl plausible (worthy of being applauded) · pl chwalebny (worthy of being applauded) · gl plausible (likely, acceptable) · mk веројатен (likely, acceptable) · ru благови́дный (obtaining approbation) · ru вероя́тный (likely, acceptable) · es probable (likely, acceptable) · pt plausível (likely, acceptable) · nl aannemelijk (likely, acceptable) · et usutav (likely, acceptable) · ka შესაძლებელი (likely, acceptable) · cs ocenitelný (worthy of being applauded) · eo verŝajna (likely, acceptable) · et mõistlik (likely, acceptable) · uk ймовірний (likely, acceptable) · uk заслуговуючий на довіру (obtaining approbation) · la probābilis (likely, acceptable) · sh moguć (likely, acceptable) · pt plausível (worthy of being applauded) · mk уверлив (likely, acceptable) · lv ticams (likely, acceptable) · et vastuvõetav (likely, acceptable) · ka სავარაუდო (likely, acceptable) · fi uskottava (likely, acceptable) · fi pettävä (obtaining approbation) · ru досто́йный похвалы́ (worthy of being applauded) · ca plausible (worthy of being applauded) · eo kredinda (likely, acceptable) · cs plauzibilní (likely, acceptable) · he סביר (likely, acceptable) · eo aprobebla (worthy of being applauded) · ru состоя́тельный (likely, acceptable) · ca plausible (likely, acceptable) · lv iespējams (likely, acceptable) · nl aanneembaar (likely, acceptable) · cs přijatelný (likely, acceptable) · cs uvěřitelný (likely, acceptable) · el ευλογοφανής (likely, acceptable) · hi प्रशंसनीय (worthy of being applauded) · sh plauzibilan (likely, acceptable) · hu elfogadható (likely, acceptable) · de glaubhaft (likely, acceptable) · ru похо́жий на пра́вду (likely, acceptable) · mk веродостоен (likely, acceptable) · sh vjerojatan (likely, acceptable) · sh verovatan (likely, acceptable) · uk правдоподібний (likely, acceptable) · sv plausibel (likely, acceptable) · fi harhaanjohtava (obtaining approbation) · gl plausíbel (worthy of being applauded)