credible

adjective

cred·​i·​ble ˈkre-də-bəl 

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

ˈkre-də-blē 

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.

Synonyms

• believable
• creditable
• likely
• plausible
• presumptive
• probable

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

Included in the bipartisan plan to avert a government shutdown is a provision extending the authority of the Homeland Security and Justice departments to continue tracking and disabling unmanned aircraft that are deemed credible threats, pushing the deadline from December 20 to March 14. —Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024

The Rewards Of A Strong Executive Online Presence Leaders who develop a strong and credible presence online will be more effective at creating trust, connecting with their audience and influencing success in the market. —Jeffrey Bartel, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024

There are no credible news reports of such payments, and nothing similar is mentioned in any statements released by the Treasury Department or IRS. —Chris Mueller, USA TODAY, 17 Dec. 2024

But Corcoran’s attorneys argued this affidavit was not credible, citing another psychiatrist who determined the inmate’s writings – while appearing logical – are tied to his delusions. —Dakin Andone, CNN, 17 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

credible

adjective

cred·​i·​ble ˈkred-ə-bəl 

: offering reasonable grounds for being believed

a credible story

credibly

ˈkred-ə-blē 

adverb