legible

1 of 2

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

legibility

2 of 2

noun

leg·​i·​bil·​i·​ty ˌlejəˈbilətē 

-ətē, 

-i

plural -es

: the quality or state of being legible

the influence of typeface on the legibility of print

—Helen A. Webster & M. A. Tinker

Synonyms of legible

Adjective

• understandable
• accessible

Examples of legible in a Sentence

Adjective

The document is not legible.

an anxious mood that was clearly legible upon her face

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

But if Atkins’ monsters are legible, then his views on ordinary life are much harder to decipher. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 27 July 2026

The best practice here is to write the brief for the more nuanced, less commercially legible version of the target. — Ivan Kayser, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

On paper, this means the foldables should be legible enough to use on bright, sunny days. — Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 23 July 2026

Incredibly, Baldwin said, both men had headstones engraved with their still-legible names right next to each other. — John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 20 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

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

First Known Use

Adjective

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