plausible
adjUK /ˈplɔː.zɪ.bl̩/ · US /ˈplɑ.zɪ.bəl/
Etymology From Latin plausibilis (“deserving applause, praiseworthy, acceptable, pleasing”), from the participle stem of plaudere (“to applaud”).
1
Seemingly or apparently valid, likely, or acceptable; conceivably true or likely.
- a plausible excuse
- In short, the twin assumptions that syntactic rules are category-based, and that there are a highly restricted finite set of categories in any natural language (perhaps no more than a dozen major categories), together with the assumption that the child either knows (innately) or learns (by experience) that all rules are structure-dependent ( =category-based), provide a highly plausible model of language acquisition, in which languages become learnable in a relatively short, finite period of time (a few years).1988, Andrew Radford, Transformative Grammar: A First Course, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 64:
1 more example
- Russian SPETSNAZ are irregular forces that operate covertly, providing the Russian government plausible deniability.2014, “Little Green Men”: A Primer on Modern Russian Unconventional Warfare, Ukraine 2013–2014, Fort Bragg, North Carolina: The United States Army Special Operations Command, page 43:
2
Obtaining approbation; specifically pleasing; apparently right; specious.
- a plausible pretext; plausible manners; a plausible delusion
3
Obsolete Worthy of being applauded; praiseworthy; commendable; ready.
- capable of receiving a plauſible Anſwer1693, John Hacket, Scrinia reserata: a Memorial offered to the great Deservings of John Williams:
- […] a coachman named Richard, who was described as a "sensible, well-behaved yellow boy, who is plausible and can read and write."1955, William H. Townsend, Lincoln and the Bluegrass: Slavery and Civil War in Kentucky:
- Derived terms
- implausible, nonplausible, overplausible, plausibility, plausible deniability, plausibleness, plausibly, semiplausible, unplausible