legible

adjective

leg·​i·​ble ˈle-jə-bəl 

1

: capable of being read or deciphered : plain

legible handwriting

2

: capable of being discovered or understood

murder sweltered in his heart and was legible upon his face

—Thomas Wolfe

legibility

ˌle-jə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

legibly

ˈle-jə-blē 

adverb

Synonyms

• accessible
• apprehensible
• coherent
• comprehendible
• comprehensible
• fathomable
• graspable
• intelligible
• scrutable
• understandable

Examples of legible in a Sentence

The document is not legible.

an anxious mood that was clearly legible upon her face

Recent Examples on the Web

While the original, faded version of the Declaration is housed at the National Archives, the copy in the Oval Office appears to feature clear and legible text. —Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025

The original version is faded, while the copy displayed in the Oval Office appeared clear and legible, The Associated Press reported. —Alex Gangitano, The Hill, 18 Mar. 2025

Some make legible figures, while others skew toward abstraction, creating works that don’t even resemble bodies in the traditional sense but remain eerily, unmistakably real. —Zoë Lescaze, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025

The dial itself leans into a clean, legible aesthetic with bold markers and just the right pop of red for contrast. —Matthew Catellier, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Late Latin legibilis, from Latin legere to read

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for legible

• illegible

Kids Definition

legible

adjective

leg·​i·​ble ˈlej-ə-bəl 

: capable of being read : plain

legible handwriting

legibility

ˌlej-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

legibly

ˈlej-ə-blē 

adverb