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 Over the past year alone, generative AI has made major strides in producing credible text, images (via services like Midjourney), and even video, particularly with OpenAI’s new Sora tool. Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 17 Mar. 2024 Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive. Michael R. Sisak, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Mar. 2024 The editing and casting, the use of music and Julien’s poetic imagery all imbue his heady themes with a rich humanity, reeling in lofty ideas, linking them to desiring bodies and credible psychologies. Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024 This February, the one credible outsider politician with a genuine, nationwide following, Alexei Navalny, died in a prison in the Russian Arctic. Joshua Yaffa, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2024 There is little to no credible evidence about their effectiveness in nonmedical uses. Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 14 Mar. 2024 Perhaps yes, perhaps no, but the notion that SpongeBob and the guy from Jackass would hover in his sphere is, yes, credible. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024 With such limited information, the military significance of the target cannot be fully determined, and therefore Israeli forces cannot make credible proportionality assessments. Avner Gvaryahu, Foreign Affairs, 4 Mar. 2024 Apple, which says the EU has failed to provide credible evidence of consumer harm, has pledged to appeal. Morgan Meaker, WIRED, 4 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'credible.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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 28 Mar. 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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