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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Younger Democrats are increasingly associating her with the past and see her as part of the problem that let Donald Trump back into the White House rather than a credible candidate for 2028. Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025 Any of Morocco’s front three could have featured here; all credible suggestions for player of the tournament. Thom Harris, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025 There is credible reporting that Alex, along with his father Randolph Murdaugh III (Gerald McRaney), went to the hospital in the early hours following the 2019 boat crash involving Paul Murdaugh (Johnny Berchtold) that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach (Madeline Popovich). Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025 The Super Bowl is more than three months away, and if there have been any credible threats against the stadium that holds more than 68,000 fans, public safety officials aren’t saying. Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for credible

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Credible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/credible. Accessed 27 Oct. 2025.

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!