legible

adjective

leg·​i·​ble ˈle-jə-bəl How to pronounce legible (audio)
Synonyms of legible
1
: capable of being read or deciphered : plain
legible handwriting
2
: capable of being discovered or understood
… murder sweltered in his heart and was legible upon his face.—Thomas Wolfe
legibility
ˌle-jə-ˈbi-lə-tē How to pronounce legible (audio)
noun
legibly
ˈle-jə-blē How to pronounce legible (audio)
adverb

Synonyms of legible

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of legible in a Sentence

The document is not legible. an anxious mood that was clearly legible upon her face
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.
Long, parallel avenues organize the space into legible districts —lending order to the swirling movement — with the oculus serving as a useful center of orientation. — Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026 Mason managed the high-wire act of rendering clinical depression legible and domestic ruin funny. — Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026 That visibility turns a private choice into a socially legible one. — Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 26 Aug. 2026 The wry, winking tone still legible in its pages was an early iteration of the urbane magazine voice that powered nineteenth-century publications such as Judge and Puck, as well as later ones like The New Yorker, New York, Spy, and Gawker. — Eric Lach, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for legible

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Late Latin legibilis, from Latin legere to read

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of legible was in the 15th century

Rhymes for legible

See All Rhymes for legible

Browse Nearby Words

legibility
legible
legion
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Legible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legible. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

legible

adjective
leg·​i·​ble ˈlej-ə-bəl How to pronounce legible (audio)
: capable of being read : plain
legible handwriting
legibility
ˌlej-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē How to pronounce legible (audio)
noun
legibly
ˈlej-ə-blē How to pronounce legible (audio)
adverb
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of apiary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All