credible

adjective

cred·i·ble ˈkre-də-bəl

Synonyms of credible next

: offering reasonable grounds for being believed or trusted

credible evidence

a credible source

credible witnesses

gave a credible account of the accident

… said the threats were not deemed credible.—

Stephen Wall

: good enough to be effective

a credible job

… does a credible imitation of a ballet student's exercises, as well as a flapper's Charleston.—

Dany Margolies

often, specifically : of sufficient capability to be militarily effective

a credible deterrent

credible forces

credibly

ˈkre-də-blē

adverb

Did you know?

Credible evidence is evidence that's likely to be believed. A credible plan is one that might actually work, and a credible excuse is one your parents might actually believe. And just as credible means "believable", the noun credibility means "believability". (But we no longer use incredible to mean the literal opposite of credible, just as we no longer use unbelievable as the literal opposite of believable.) Since cred is short for credibility, "street cred" is the kind of credibility among tough young people that you can only get by proving yourself on the mean streets of the inner city.

Examples of credible in a Sentence

We've received credible information about the group's location. She does a credible job of playing the famous singer.

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

There have been no announcements and no credible evidence related to such a move for any other companies owned by Cuban, the former majority owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks. —

Joedy McCreary, USA TODAY, 18 Jan. 2025 Amid the surge, the government was unable to hear and decide initial credible fear claims in the 20-day limit that it is allowed to detain families in immigration custody, forcing them to release people into the country. —

Anna Giaritelli, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 18 Jan. 2025 This story was reported by The Associated Press Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive. —

Todd Richmand and Elliot Spagat, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Jan. 2025 The detective said both women’s accounts were credible because their story matched the video. —

Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 16 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for credible