CREDIBLE

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does credible mean? 

• CREDIBLE (adjective)
  The adjective CREDIBLE has 3 senses:

1. capable of being believed

2. (a common but incorrect usage where 'credulous' would be appropriate) credulous

3. appearing to merit belief or acceptance

  Familiarity information: CREDIBLE used as an adjective is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CREDIBLE (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Capable of being believed

Synonyms:

believable; credible

Context example:

credible information

Similar:

likely (within the realm of credibility)

presumptive (affording reasonable grounds for belief or acceptance)

Also:

plausible (apparently reasonable and credible, and therefore convincing)

thinkable (capable of being conceived or imagined or considered)

Attribute:

believability; credibility; credibleness (the quality of being believable or trustworthy)

Antonym:

incredible (beyond belief or understanding)

Derivation:

credibility; credibleness (the quality of being believable or trustworthy)

Sense 2

Meaning:

(a common but incorrect usage where 'credulous' would be appropriate) credulous

Context example:

she was not the...credible fool he expected

Similar:

credulous (disposed to believe on little evidence)

Derivation:

credibleness (the quality of being believable or trustworthy)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Appearing to merit belief or acceptance

Context example:

a credible witness

Similar:

convincing (causing one to believe the truth of something)

Derivation:

credibility; credibleness (the quality of being believable or trustworthy)

 Context examples 

And yet how strange that they should ever let a doctor approach her unless he were a confederate, which is hardly a credible proposition.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Clinical endpoints are the most credible characteristics used in the assessment of the benefits and risks of a therapeutic intervention in randomized clinical trials.

(Clinical Endpoint, NCI Thesaurus)

Marked by a reasonable or logical relation of parts and holding together as a harmonious or credible whole.

(Consistent, NCI Thesaurus)

Thus restrained and simplified, it sounded more credible: I felt as I went on that Miss Temple fully believed me.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Designed to make the most current, credible, and accurate cancer information available to health professionals and the public, Physician Data Query contains peer-reviewed summaries on cancer treatment, screening, prevention, genetics, complementary and alternative medicine, and supportive care; a registry of cancer clinical trials from around the world; and directories of physicians, professionals who provide genetics services, and organizations that provide cancer care.

(Physician Data Query, NCI Dictionary)

Designed to make the most current, credible, and accurate cancer information available to health professionals and the public, PDQ contains peer-reviewed summaries on cancer treatment, screening, prevention, genetics, and supportive care; a registry of cancer clinical trials from around the world; and directories of physicians, professionals who provide genetics services, and organizations that provide cancer care.

(PDQ Information System, NCI Dictionary)

Designed to make the most current, credible, and accurate cancer information available to health professionals and the public, PDQ contains peer-reviewed summaries on cancer treatment, screening, prevention, genetics, complementary and alternative medicine, and supportive care; a registry of cancer clinical trials from around the world; and directories of physicians, professionals who provide genetics services, and organizations that provide cancer care.

(PDQ, NCI Dictionary)

The Miss Hayters, the females of the family of cousins already mentioned, were apparently admitted to the honour of being in love with him; and as for Henrietta and Louisa, they both seemed so entirely occupied by him, that nothing but the continued appearance of the most perfect good-will between themselves could have made it credible that they were not decided rivals.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

Ham Peggotty, who went to the national school, and was a very dragon at his catechism, and who may therefore be regarded as a credible witness, reported next day, that happening to peep in at the parlour-door an hour after this, he was instantly descried by Miss Betsey, then walking to and fro in a state of agitation, and pounced upon before he could make his escape.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)