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plausible

/ˈplɔːzəbl//ˈplɔːzəbl/·adjective
seeming reasonable or probably true; believable
Fig. 1 — A balance hangs with a line marked where 'proven' would sit.
01Definition

A plausible claim is one that sounds right: it fits what we know and could well be true. The word lives in the gap between 'possible' and 'proven' — a plausible explanation is coherent enough to deserve consideration but still awaits evidence. It can also carry a warning when applied to people: a 'plausible salesman' is convincing in a way that invites suspicion. The Latin root plaudere, 'to applaud', survives in the idea of winning an audience over.

02In use
  • iShe offered a plausible explanation for the missing files, and the manager accepted it.
  • iiThe hypothesis is plausible, and too well argued to dismiss, but so far the evidence for it is thin.
  • iiiIt seems plausible that the unusually warm spring contributed to the early harvest.
03Collocations
  • a plausible explanation
  • seem plausible
  • perfectly plausible
  • a plausible account

Family plausibility (noun) · plausibly (adverb) · implausible (adjective)

04Relations

=credible, believable, reasonable, convincing, likely

≠implausible, far-fetched, unbelievable

06TOEFL & IELTS

Crucial test-taking vocabulary: TOEFL and IELTS questions ask which interpretation is 'most plausible', and reading passages weigh 'plausible hypotheses' against each other. In academic writing, 'a plausible explanation/account' lets you take a position with appropriate caution — far more idiomatic than 'maybe true'. Antonym worth knowing: implausible.

07Asked
Can something be plausible but not probable?
Easily — the words grade different things. Possible says it cannot be ruled out; plausible says the story hangs together well enough to deserve consideration; probable says the odds actually favour it. A well-argued conspiracy can be plausible and wildly improbable at once. The scene above holds the word's exact posture: the beam leans hard toward yes and never drops onto the proven line.
What does plausible deniability mean?
An arrangement that keeps a believable 'I didn't know' available: decisions are passed through intermediaries so the people at the top can deny involvement without being provably wrong. The phrase grew out of Cold War intelligence practice, where it described shielding officials from covert operations, and has since spread to any office where responsibility is engineered to slide off.
Is calling a person plausible a compliment?
For most of its history, closer to an accusation. The Latin root plaudere means 'to applaud', and for centuries a plausible man was one skilled at winning applause he had not earned — smooth, specious, worth counting your rings after shaking hands with. The modern neutral sense, believable, has largely taken over, but 'a plausible salesman' still reads as a warning rather than praise.
Does implausible mean impossible?
No — implausible only means the story does not hang together as told: it strains belief. Reality is under no such obligation; genuinely true events are implausible all the time, which is why 'implausible but confirmed' is a coherent sentence and witnesses are warned that the truth can sound less plausible than fiction. Impossible closes the door; implausible just raises an eyebrow.