credible

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adjective cred·i·ble \ˈkre-də-bəl\

Simple Definition of credible

: able to be believed : reasonable to trust or believe
: good enough to be effective

Source: Merriam-Webster's Learner's Dictionary

Full Definition of credible

1 : offering reasonable grounds for being believed <a credible account of an accident> <credible witnesses>
2 : of sufficient capability to be militarily effective <a credible deterrent> <credible forces>

credibly

play \ˈkre-də-blē\ adverb

See credible defined for English-language learners

See credible defined for kids

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.

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.

Origin and Etymology of credible

Middle English, from Latin credibilis, from credere

First Known Use: 14th century

CREDIBLE Defined for Kids

credible

play

adjective cred·i·ble \ˈkre-də-bəl\

Definition of credible for Students

: possible to believe : deserving belief <credible witnesses>

credibly

\-blē\ adverb

Word Root of credible

The Latin word credere, meaning “to believe,” gives us the root cred. Words from the Latin credere have something to do with believing someone or something. Something credible is easy to believe, while something incredible is so out of the ordinary that it is difficult to believe. Giving credit to something someone says is believing that it is true.