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 of legible

• understandable
• accessible

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

Out of the 26 letters of the Roman alphabet, or any writing system, an identity can be assigned, fixed—and made, if not real, then socially legible and governmentally legal. — Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026

Have there been cases where a work has become more, as opposed to less, legible? — Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTnews.com, 14 Sep. 2026

Ko ensured the recipe’s instructions in this book were as pristine and legible as Vongerichten’s cooking is nimble and gleaming. — Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 9 Sep. 2026

Too often, the pressure is not to go further, but to remain legible, acceptable, and marketable. — Alessia Glaviano, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026

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

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