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

The first brands in a category to become genuinely legible will be the ones answer engines name while their rivals stay a blank that the model skips. — Margareta Petrovic, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026

But the distribution becomes more legible when cross-referenced with demographic structure. — Matthew MacConnell, ArsTechnica, 3 Aug. 2026

Popular entertainment needs to work in these themes in a way that’s actually satisfying and relatable and legible to contemporary audiences. — Jasmine Vojdani, Vulture, 1 Aug. 2026

The note probably wouldn’t have been legible anyway, with the constant blood dripping from my writing hand. — Todd Orr, Outdoor Life, 30 July 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