legible

American  

[lej-uh-buhl] / ˈlɛdʒ ə bəl /

adjective

1. capable of being read or deciphered, especially with ease, as writing or printing; easily readable.

2. capable of being discerned or distinguished.

   Anger was legible in his looks and behavior.

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legible British  

/ ˈlɛdʒəbəl /

adjective

1. (of handwriting, print, etc) able to be read or deciphered

2. able to be discovered; discernible

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Other Word Forms

• legibility noun
• legibly adverb
• unlegible adjective

Etymology

Origin of legible

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin legibilis; equivalent to leg(ere) “to read” + -ibilis -ible

Explanation

Legible describes readable print or handwriting. If someone tells you that your writing looks like "chicken scratch," it might not be legible, except to other chickens. Legible goes back to the Latin word legibilis, meaning "that can be read." If you can read someone's handwriting, it is legible. The person might not have perfect penmanship, but if you decipher the letters, the writing is legible. People's signatures are especially notorious for not being legible — that's why we often must print or type our names below.

Example Sentences

For Justin Gausman, who co-hosts TCBCast, a podcast devoted to Presley, one of the movie’s triumphs is that it makes the singer’s “artistic process legible and accessible to anyone.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026

A "for sale" sign is barely legible at the top, its letters faded by sun and salt air.

From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026

Its minuscule, deeply engraved surface carving is barely legible to the naked eye, but Getty curators produced a searchable video that is jaw-dropping in the fierce drama that is exposed.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 10, 2025

The Mom’s Meals menu is full of familiar comforts engineered to be legible as “healthy.”

From Salon • Jul. 9, 2025

Later, state police reports from the capital confirmed that the only legible fingerprints in Rael’s store belonged to Bernabe Montoya.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

Related Words

• coherent
• distinct
• intelligible
• lucid
• neat
• readable
• understandable