legible

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

Synonyms

• accessible
• apprehensible
• coherent
• comprehendible
• comprehensible
• fathomable
• graspable
• intelligible
• scrutable
• understandable

Examples of legible in a Sentence

The document is not legible.

an anxious mood that was clearly legible upon her face

Recent Examples on the Web

Then the door opened, and in came some kind of young person, tall and heron-thin, in a jumpsuit dirty at the knees, wearing a buzz cut that shone golden under the fluorescents and a gender that was not immediately legible. —Lauren Groff, The New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2024

If artists no longer require the art context to make their work legible, Israel suggests another possibility: that artists become their own contexts, independent of traditional categories and institutions, not unlike celebrities in the mold of Kim Kardashian or Pharrell Williams. —Natasha Degen, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2024

Everyone's handwriting was surprisingly legible, a considerable concern when accuracy is paramount. —Eric Larsen, The Indianapolis Star, 17 Nov. 2024

Considering how clear and legible the LED display is, the sound just doesn’t seem necessary. —PCMAG, 12 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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