— plausibility, plausibleness , n. — plausibly , adv.
/plaw"zeuh beuhl/ , adj.
1. having an appearance of truth or reason; seemingly worthy of approval or acceptance; credible; believable: a plausible excuse; a plausible plot.
2. well-spoken and apparently, but often deceptively, worthy of confidence or trust: a plausible commentator.
[ 1535-45; plausibilis deserving applause, equiv. to plaus ( us ) (ptp. of plaudere to APPLAUD) + -ibilis -IBLE ]
Syn. 1. PLAUSIBLE, SPECIOUS describe that which has the appearance of truth but might be deceptive. The person or thing that is PLAUSIBLE strikes the superficial judgment favorably; it may or may not be true: a plausible argument (one that cannot be verified or believed in entirely). SPECIOUS definitely implies deceit or falsehood; the surface appearances are quite different from what is beneath: a specious pretense of honesty; a specious argument (one deliberately deceptive, probably for selfish or evil purposes).
Ant. 1. honest, sincere.