I like to go swimming first thing in the morning at the Kinsmen Sportsplex. When I arrived the other morning, the hot tub had a sign indicating that it was closed. This seems to happen every once and awhile on a Monday morning after a busy weekend at the pool. It seems plausible to me that a chemical imbalance can happen over the busy weekend, and it takes some extra time on a Monday morning to get things in balance again. On that particular morning, true to form, the early morning team got things straightened out by the time I swam a bit and wanted to sit in the warm water with the soothing jets pulsing on some aching spots. Kudos (see Aug. 14, 2024) to the early morning staff.
Plausible means reasonable or believable. It seems plausible that the Liberals will call an election soon, given a bump in the polls with a new leader to counter the uncertainty of trade issues around the world. Her story was so plausible that no one considered it might be an April Fool’s joke.
When plausible was first used in English it dealt with the sensory, rather than the cerebral. In the mid-1500’s plausible implied deserving of clapping or approval. Plausible comes from the Latin plausibilis, meaning worthy of appreciation, derived from the verb plaudere, meaning to applaud or clap. Other English words developed from plaudere include plaudit (enthusiastic approval) and explode (to burst forth with sudden violence or noise).
Plausible has a darker side to its usage in English, as it can imply that something is deceptive, seemingly true but potentially false. Plausible can describe a false impression, like a plausible excuse that in actuality is a lie.
Plausible can also infer appearing worthy of belief. The answer of the finance minister to the opposition’s question was powerful and plausible even though everyone knew he did not know much about the issue.
Plausible can suggest superficially pleasing and trustworthy. The investment advisor’s advice appeared plausible but he is, in reality, a con artist using trickery to defraud others of their hard-earned money.
Plausible can imply a veneer. The promoter had such a plausible presentation to the board but was in fact hiding something less desirable underneath his pleasing facade.
Synonyms to a negative sense of plausible include deceptive, specious, fallacious, and fraudulent.
Deceptive means tending or having power to cause someone to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid. The best villains in movies have a deceptive appearance. The knuckleball pitcher had a deceptive windup.
Specious suggests having a false look of truth or genuineness. The looter tried to justify his actions with specious reasoning.
Fallacious implies tending to deceive or mislead. It's fallacious to say that something must exist because science hasn't proven its nonexistence.
Fraudulent means characterized by, based on, or done by deceit. Criminals often make fraudulent use of stolen credit cards.
Synonyms to a positive meaning of plausible include credible, likely, and probable.
Credible means offering reasonable grounds for being believed or trusted. The credible witness persuaded the jury to render a guilty verdict. The information about the procedure comes from a credible source.
Likely suggests having a high chance of occurring or being true. Looking out the window first thing in the morning, I realized that there was a likely chance of rain.
Probable infers something that is supported by evidence strong enough to establish presumption but not proof. The prosecuting attorney presented a probable scenario for the crime but would it be enough for a conviction?
Perhaps you have heard the phrase ‘plausible deniability.’ It is the ability of people, typically senior officials in a formal or informal chain of command to deny knowledge or responsibility for actions committed by or on behalf of members of their organization. The key concept of plausible deniability is plausibility.
Again I express my gratitude to the team of workers at the pool for their ability to rectify the chemical imbalance of the hot tub in a plausible manner. And, as one might have exclaimed in the 1500s, “Their quick actions are plausible.”
John would like to know if anyone has a sincere interest in a relevant word that he could possibly research for an upcoming column. If so, please send your requests to [email protected]. Words will be selected according to relevance and research criteria. We cannot confirm that all words will be used.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
