credible
part of speech
adjective (credible, more credible, most credible)
meaning for a pupil
1) Credible means believable, able to be trusted as true. tree →
2) A credible person, plan or threat is serious and likely to be real or to succeed. tree →
sense in the lessons
In research, a credible source is one you can trust (a good encyclopedia, a science organisation). In stories and stories you write, a credible plot or character feels real. In news: «a credible threat» means the danger is real and taken seriously. Opposite: incredible (which now usually means «amazing»).
examples
- The scientist gave a credible explanation for the strange lights. tree →
- Is that website a credible source? tree →
- His excuse about the dog eating his homework was not very credible. tree →
- The team made a credible effort to win. tree →
- Police said the threat was credible and closed the road. tree →
- Make your characters credible so the reader believes in them. tree →
note
Trap: incredible today mostly means «amazing», not just «not believable». Do not confuse credible (believable) with creditable (deserving praise) or gullible (too easy to fool).
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «credible» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.