legible

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adjective leg·i·ble \ ˈle-jə-bəl \

Definition of legible

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

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legibility

play \ˌle-jə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

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legibly

play \ˈle-jə-blē\ adverb

See legible defined for English-language learners

See legible defined for kids

Examples of legible in a Sentence

The document is not legible.
an anxious mood that was clearly legible upon her face

Recent Examples of legible from the Web

Michael Kellar, 56, must not have realized his large-sized cellphone screen was legible to the passenger seated behind him on the flight.

— author: kyle swenson, Alaska Dispatch News, "An alert airline passenger exposed a suspected child sex predator after glancing at his text messages," 5 Aug. 2017
His upbringing in Hallencourt mark his perspective as unimpeachably authentic, and the years of education in the corridors of France’s elite institutions makes him legible to the elite.

— samuel metz, New Republic, "Édouard Louis’s Novel of the French Working Class," 8 June 2017
Toward the end of her life, much of the girl's once-neat handwriting was barely legible.

— megan crepeau, chicagotribune.com, "Grandmother of slain 8-year-old receives life in prison," 7 June 2017
Here, the more legible parts confer ceremonial dignity on the undignified rite of the blind-ish date, but the sequences don’t accrete into anything much.

— alexis soloski, New York Times, "Review: Rom-Com as Ritual in ‘The Art of Luv (Part 5)’," 26 May 2017
However, the copies were from a microfiche record, and the letters that were enclosed with her record are barely legible.

— The Root, "Tracing Your Roots: Deciphering Illegible Genealogy Records," 19 May 2017
As directed by Assayas, her performance abandons her powerfully emotional near-neutrality and veers and lurches between familiarly indicative, visually legible expressions.

— richard brody, The New Yorker, "“Personal Shopper” and the Misunderstood Art of Kristen Stewart," 15 Mar. 2017
The stylistic borders between underground and mainstream, always a bit exaggerated, are barely legible today.

— hua hsu, The New Yorker, "Parquet Courts and the Uncertain Future of Indie," 9 Mar. 2017
Maybe that’s what all storytelling is meant to do: reassure its audience that a legible causality shapes our world and our lives.

— laura miller, The New Yorker, "Paul Auster’s Novel of Chance," 30 Jan. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'legible.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of legible

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

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First Known Use: 15th century

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legible Synonyms

Synonyms

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

Antonyms

incoherent, incomprehensible, inscrutable, insensible

Related Words

decipherable; plain, simple, straightforward; articulate, fluent, well-spoken

Near Antonyms

inarticulate; cryptic, esoteric, mysterious, obscure

LEGIBLE Defined for English Language Learners

legible

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adjective

Definition of legible for English Language Learners

: capable of being read : clear enough to be read

LEGIBLE Defined for Kids

legible

play

adjective leg·i·ble \ ˈle-jə-bəl \

Definition of legible for Students

:clear enough to be read

legible writing

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legibly

\-blē\ adverb

Learn More about legible

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for legible Spanish Central: Translation of legible Nglish: Translation of legible for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of legible for Arabic speakers

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Examples of legible in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of legible

legible Synonyms

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LEGIBLE Defined for English Language Learners

legible

Definition of legible for English Language Learners

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legibly

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