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 of credible

• plausible

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

But that alignment will be credible only if it is grounded in high-quality science, public accountability, and sufficient resources. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 14 July 2026

Archbishop Shawn McKnight determined the allegation against James Zimmer to be credible following an investigation by the Independent Review Board, the archdiocese said in a statement posted on its website. — Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 14 July 2026

Bonta called it unenforceable and not credible, and Seilie feels that the inclusion of that promise from Ellison suggests Bonta wants Paramount-WBD to be legally committed to that output in some way and that negotiations are likely ongoing. — Brian Welk, IndieWire, 14 July 2026

The lawsuit said the witness was not credible and that police easily found the gun at the scene. — ABC News, 14 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for credible

• edible
• incredible
• inedible

Kids Definition

credible

adjective

cred·​i·​ble ˈkred-ə-bəl 

: offering reasonable grounds for being believed

a credible story

credibly

ˈkred-ə-blē 

adverb