plausibleadj.n.
/ˈplɔːzᵻbl/, U.S. /ˈplɔzəb(ə)l/, /ˈplɑzəb(ə)l/ A. adj.† 1. † 2. Expressing applause or approbation; plausive, applausive. Obsolete.† 3. Deserving of applause or approval; praiseworthy, laudable, commendable. Obsolete.
a. Acceptable, agreeable, pleasing, gratifying; winning public approval, popular. Obsolete.Common in the late 16th and 17th centuries.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pleasure > quality of being pleasant or pleasurable > [adjective]
winsomea900
sweetc900
likingeOE
i-quemec950
lieflyOE
winlyOE
hereOE
thankfulc1000
merryOE
queemc1175
beina1200
willea1200
leesomec1200
savouryc1225
estea1250
i-wilc1275
winc1275
welcomea1300
doucea1350
well-pleasingc1350
acceptablea1382
pleasablea1382
pleasanta1382
pleaseda1382
acceptedc1384
amiablec1384
well-likinga1387
queemfulc1390
flattering1393
pleasinga1398
well-queeminga1400
comelyc1400
farrandc1400
greable1401
goodlyc1405
amicable?a1425
placablec1429
amene1433
winful1438
listyc1440
dulcet1445
agreeablec1450
favourousc1485
sweetly?a1500
pleasureful?c1502
dulcea1513
grate1523
prettya1529
plausible1541
jolly1549
dulcoratec1550
toothsome1551
pleasurable1557
tickling1558
suavec1560
amenous1567
odoriferous?1575
perfumed1580
glada1586
tickle1593
pleasurous1595
favoursome1601
dulcean1606
gratifying1611
Hyblaean1614
gratulatea1616
arrident1616
solacefula1618
pleasantable1619
placid1628
contentsome1632
sapid1640
canny1643
gustful1647
peramene1657
pergrateful1657
tastefula1659
complacent1660
placentiousa1661
gratifactorya1665
bland1667
suavious1669
palatable1683
placent1683
complaisant1710
nice1747
tasty1796
sweetsome1799
titbit1820
connate1836
cunning1843
mooi1850
gemütlich1852
sympathique1859
congenial1878
sympathetic1900
sipid1908
onkus1910
sympathisch1911
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > quality of being approvable or acceptable > [adjective]
acceptablea1382
acceptedc1384
admittable?1406
approvablec1449
eligiblea1500
plausible1541
admissable1587
avowable1602
applausive1605
admissible1611
vendible1642
plaudablea1650
unexceptionable1664
favourable1666
unobnoxious1678
unexceptioned1704
right1748
unregrettable1748
undisgusting1755
unexceptional1775
all right1868
unarraignable1886
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > quality of being approvable or acceptable > popularity > [adjective]
plausible1541
gracious1573
popular1608
plaudablea1650
popularish1824
popularist1962
1541 T. Paynell tr. Felicius Conspiracie of Catiline viii. f. 13v Nothynge was so plausyble to the people as perswasion agaynst the lawe Agraria.
1592 T. Kyd Spanish Trag. iv. sig. I4 I meane each one of you to play a part, Assure you it will proue most passing strange, And wondrous plausible to that assembly.
1593 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie i. xvi. 92 It might..haue beene more..plausible to vulgar eares.
1605 J. Stow Annales (new ed.) 1426 This change was very plawsible or well pleasing to the Nobility and Gentrye.
1643 Sir T. Browne Religio Medici (authorized ed.) To Rdr. sig. A2 There might be many things therein plausible unto my passed apprehension, which are not agreeable unto my present selfe. View more context for this quotation
1671 J. Milton Paradise Regain'd iii. 75 Before mine eyes thou hast set; and in my ear Vented much policy, and projects deep Of enemies, of aids, battels and leagues, Plausible to the world, to me worth naught. View more context for this quotation
1730 in Swift's Lett. (1768) IV. 249 Which..you will allow to be a desperate crisis under any party of the most plausible denomination.
1828 I. D'Israeli Comm. Life Charles I I. iii. 30 An invective against royal pedantry would always be plausible.
b. Of a person, a person's manners, etc.: affable, pleasant, winning, ingratiating. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > courtesy > [adjective] > agreeable in manner
sweetc825
soota1250
coutha1375
pleasantc1387
gallant?a1513
plausible1577
plausive1595
placentiousa1661
winsome1677
genial1746
clever1758
nice1830
decent1902
1577–8 in J. H. Burton Reg. Privy Council Scotl. (1878) 1st Ser. II. 667 The said souirteis requirit the saidis officiaris with plausabill wordis to desist.
1605 E. Philips Certaine Godly Sermons 202 To shew himselfe plausible, and to make himselfe deafe when he heareth an oath.
1624 T. Heywood Γυναικεῖον ii. 102 His aspect more plaucible and his countenance more amiable than the former.
1633 Bp. J. Hall Plaine Explic. Hard Texts ii. 20 The Sonne of man came in a kinde, affable, and plausible manner.
a1704 T. Brown Declam. Praise Wealth in Wks. (1707) I. i. 126 A Plausible Poetaster.
1796 R. Bage Hermsprong III. xxi. 180 Mouths in plenty were ready to open in his praise; not one to his discredit... No man would give himself the trouble to please every body, without great and uncommon motives. In proportion as he was plausible, he must be the more dangerous.
1841 E. Bulwer-Lytton Night & Morning i. ii Robert, you are a careful, sober, plausible man.
1880 W. T. Dennison Orcadian Sketch-bk. 26 A' his forebears..war muckle stoor an' yet geud natired plosible folk.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > commendation or praise > applause > [adjective]
plausible1542
plausive1595
applausive1609
applauseful1630
acclamatory1657
plauditory1658
ovationary1852
1542 T. Becon Newe Pathway vnto Praier ix. sig. E.vjv Now I wyll haste to declare of what vertue & strength the true and Christen prayer is, yt men..may wt ye more plausible [printed plansible] & ioyful mindes delyght in it.
1567 T. Drant tr. Horace Arte of Poetrie sig. Avv That when the Epilogue is done We may with franke intent, After the plaudite stryke vp Our plausible assente.
1600 P. Holland tr. Livy Rom. Hist. xxxix. l. 881 For a while there was a plausible noise heard among them as they approued his words.
1622 C. Fitzgeffry Elisha 1 A plausible Acclamation, The Chariot of Israel, and the Horse-men thereof.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > commendation or praise > praiseworthiness > [adjective]
loflyOE
herewortha1225
praisablec1350
provablea1382
heryful1382
praisefulc1384
commendablec1386
lowablea1400
allowablec1400
meritable?1400
laudablec1420
thankworthy1421
lovablec1422
thankworth?1426
thanklewe1430
recommendable1477
meritoriousa1513
praiseworthya1538
apprisablec1540
plausible1561
praiseworth1591
applausive1605
allaudable1727
1561 T. Norton tr. J. Calvin Inst. Christian Relig. iii. f. 216 To me it should not be very laborsom, and yet very plausible to bewray to their great shame those things that thei haue heretofore bosted vpon as mysteries.
1592 G. Harvey Foure Lett. iii. 22 The plausible Examples of..diuers such vertuous Romanes, and sundry excellent Greekes.
1637 R. Humfrey tr. St. Ambrose Christian Offices i. 106 Those exercises which they thinke more plausible.
1684 tr. Plutarch Lives II. 110 But Sisinius and Brutus, a couple of seditious Tribunes, did presently interpose here, crying out, That the Consuls went about to disguise the most cruel and barbarous action in the world, under that so mild and plausible name of a Colony, for no other end, but that they might precipitate so many poor Citizens..into the very gulf of Perdition.
1709 Ld. Shaftesbury Moralists iii. ii. 211 Is there a fair and plausible Enthusiasm, a reasonable Extasy and Transport allow'd to other Subjects?
4.
a. Of an argument, an idea, a statement, etc.: seeming reasonable, probable, or truthful; convincing, believable; (formerly) spec. having a false appearance of reason or veracity; specious.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > dissimulation, pretence > semblance, outward show > [adjective] > of words, statements
queemc1175
gayc1425
plausible1565
glib1603
plausivea1616
specious1651
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > [adjective] > resembling truth
truthlike1566
verisimilous1635
verisimilary1653
verisimilar1681
plausible1838
the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > probability, likelihood > [adjective] > worthy of belief
probablea1387
provablec1429
satisfactory1605
vraisemblable1830
plausible1838
1565 in J. H. Burton Reg. Privy Council Scotl. (1877) 1st Ser. I. 369 Undir pretence of that plausabill argument to draw eftir thame a large tale of ignorant personis.
1588 in D. Masson Reg. Privy Council Scotl. (1881) 1st Ser. IV. 281 The narrative..hes ane plawsable face to cullour the..pretendit forme thairof.
1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan iii. xlii. 303 All such, as had both the ambition to attempt the attaining of the Kingdome, and the art to deceive the People by counterfeit miracles, by hypocriticall life, or by orations and doctrine plausible.
1682 J. Dryden Medall 7 A Tempting Doctrine, plausible and new.
1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 90. ¶7 They told such a plausible Story, that I laughed at their Contrivance.
1790 E. Burke Refl. Revol. in France 338 The dream of the philosopher's stone induces dupes, under the more plausible delusion of the hermetic art, to neglect all rational means of improving their fortunes. View more context for this quotation
1838 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece (new ed.) IV. xxxii. 259 According even to the avowed doctrines of Protagoras and Gorgias, no truth could claim any higher value than that of a plausible opinion.
1891 T. Hardy Tess of the D'Urbervilles II. xxxii. 149 Despite Angel Clare's plausible representations to himself and to Tess of the practical need for their immediate marriage, there was in truth an element of precipitancy in the step.
1952 G. Sarton Hist. Sci. I. xi. 280 If Hippocrates actually wrote the first textbook of geometry, which is not only possible but plausible.
1993 Guardian 14 July i. 12/4 It is entirely plausible that Sir Colin Marshall did not know of the computer accessing or hacking which was going on.
2004 Vogue Mar. 286/2. I invented a plausible surname for her and her husband that consisted of all the letters of both their last names.
b. Of a person: convincing or persuasive, esp. with the intention to deceive.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > dissimulation, pretence > semblance, outward show > [adjective] > of persons
specious1740
plausible1860
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > deception by illusion, delusion > speech intended to deceive > [adjective]
inveiglingc1572
inveigleda1610
plausible1875
1761 F. Sheridan Mem. Miss Sidney Bidulph I. 74 The plausible man came to me in the evening, and with looks, full of pretended sorrow, but real guilt, begged I would hear him on the subject of a letter which he said he found had unfortunately prejudiced me against him.
1860 R. W. Emerson Fate in Conduct of Life (London ed.) 40 A swindler.., then a quack, then smooth, plausible gentlemen.
1875 ‘A. R. Hope’ My Schoolboy Friends 221 He was a plausible, cunning kind of fellow.
1927 A. Conan Doyle Case-bk. Sherlock Holmes 175 But he is plausible and cunning. That is all I have to say to you. Don't take him at his face value. There is more behind.
1970 Sunday Times 15 Nov. 3/5 Plausible, highly-paid ‘winklers’ who are hired by property companies and landlords to persuade families to leave their rent-controlled tenancies so the homes can be sold at high prices.
2001 FourFourTwo Aug. 116/3 He's very plausible, but when you actually meet the man and get to know him, he's a wrong 'un.
B. n.
That which is plausible; a plausible argument or statement; also occasionally (with the and plural agreement) plausible or specious people as a class.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > dissimulation, pretence > semblance, outward show > [noun] > specious quality > statement exhibiting
coloura1393
plausible1654
plausibility1660
the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > philosopher > [noun] > pseudo-philosopher
foolosopher1549
philosophaster1611
pseudo-philosopher1749
philosophling1815
plausible1831
philosophunculist1840
pseudosopher1843
1654 R. Whitlock Ζωοτομία 162 Having ensnared the silly vulgar, by the dazle of their fame, (in some plausible or other).
1670 R. Graham Angliæ Speculum Morale 101 To discourse or argue plausibles.
1831 J. S. Mill in Examiner 6 Feb. 83/2 I mean the really profound and philosophic inquirers into history in France and Germany, not the Plausibles, who in our own land of shallowness and charlatanerie, babble about induction without having ever considered what it is.
1833 T. Carlyle in Foreign Q. Rev. Apr. 298 The plausiblest Plausible on record.
1846 C. G. F. Gore Sketches Eng. Char. I. 62 So is it with the Plausible. By dint of strenuously pretending to be good, wise, or zealous, they contract almost the form and pressure of virtue and wisdom.
2002 Sunday Tel. (Nexis) 4 Aug. 19 In considering the Shieldfield scare, people could believe the implausible..or they could believe the plausible: that Shieldfield was a busy, inner-city nursery in which everyone was getting on with their lives as normal.
Compounds
C1.
plausible-looking adj.
ΚΠ
1833 T. Carlyle in Fraser's Mag. 8 27/1 Stupid, pudding-faced as he looks and is, there is a vulpine astucity in him;..an oiliness so plausible-looking.
1841 C. J. Lever Charles O'Malley xcv With a very plausible-looking tray.
1966 Philos. Rev. 75 411 Certain plausible-looking solutions..will not suffice.
C2.
plausible deniability n. Politics (originally and chiefly U.S.) (the possibility of) denying a fact (esp. a discreditable action) without arousing suspicion; the method of achieving this.
ΚΠ
1974 Washington Post 14 Sept. a2/3 Author David Wise also objected that the secret activities also required a policy of ‘plausible deniability’ on the part of U.S. officials when publicly questioned about them.
1987 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 8 Jan. a1/5 Investigators want to know..whether Mr. Reagan's open support for the contras was translated into action that he and other senior officials now find it convenient to repudiate... According to several Administration officials, the White House in the last few years had used the technique of ‘plausible deniability’.
2001 New Republic 8 Oct. 8/2 So the Agency [sc. the CIA] tried to avoid direct involvement in the war, and to maintain plausible deniability... The U.S. provided the mujahedin only Eastern-bloc weaponry, so the rebels could claim they had captured it from Soviet troops rather than received it from Washington.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2006; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
<
adj.n.1541