Meaning & use
believable
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Easy to accept as true or realistic.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a linking verb: a believable story; the story is believable.
Patterns
- believable to someone
- a believable excuse
His explanation sounded perfectly believable.
The film's characters felt believable and human.
She told a believable story about the delay.
adjectivecomparable
Describing someone whose words or behavior can be trusted.
Grammar: Often used about people or witnesses.
Patterns
- a believable witness
The jury found the witness believable.
He is not a believable source on this topic.
A believable spokesperson stays calm and honest.
Word forms
| comparative | more believable |
|---|---|
| superlative | most believable |
Common combinations
- perfectly believable
- The excuse was perfectly believable.
- hardly believable
- The result was hardly believable.
- believable character
- The author created a believable character.
- believable story
- A believable story needs plausible details.
- barely believable
- The score was barely believable.
Synonyms and how they differ
- credible
- Credible is a more formal word often used for sources, evidence and witnesses, while believable is more everyday.
- plausible
- Plausible means seeming reasonable at first sight, even though it might not be true.
- convincing
- Convincing suggests something actively persuades you, rather than merely being acceptable.
- realistic
- Realistic stresses similarity to real life, especially in fiction and plans.
Opposites
Word family
- believe verb
- to accept something as true
- believably adverb
- in a convincing way
- believability noun
- the quality of being believable
- unbelievable adjective
- too surprising to be true
- belief noun
- something accepted as true
Commonly confused: believable or credulous?
believable vs credulous
Credulous describes a person who believes too easily, while believable describes something that can be believed.
Practice
A believable excuse is one that
Choose one answer.
Believable means easy to accept as true. It says nothing about length or novelty.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “believable”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.