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

Neglected and overgrown, the inscription was barely legible until local historian and YouTuber Kevin Cuthbertson recently decided to take action. —James Pearce, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025

But all of these tropes, from the beard to the villain, are predicated on the idea that sexuality and desire are always legible on the body. —Kelly Foster Lundquist, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2025

When Browning was directing and producing Freaks, then, the circus sideshow was broadly culturally legible and in interplay with cinema as an evolving part of variety entertainment. —JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025

The paper was wet, but the writing remained legible. —CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025

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