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

• 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 Act would require agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to wear legible ID, including the agency name or acronym. —Amanda Castro hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 July 2025

Maintain consistent formatting for employment dates, and create legible headings using standard nomenclature (Summary, Experience, Education and so on). —Jacob Jacquet, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025

Their high-contrast dials are reminiscent of an easily legible cockpit instrument. —Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 2 May 2025

While battles are described with enough detail to please fans of the genre (and enough skill to make both strategy and tactics legible for those who are not), Atkinson’s canvas is vast. —Amy S. Greenberg, New York Times, 29 Apr. 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