Definition of "plausible" []

• Seemingly or apparently valid, likely, or acceptable; credible: a plausible excuse. (adjective)
• Giving a deceptive impression of truth or reliability. (adjective)
• Disingenuously smooth; fast-talking: "Ambitious, unscrupulous, energetic, ... and plausible,—a political gladiator, ready for a 'set-to' in any crowd” ( Frederick Douglass). (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Ever since Ronald Reagan's henchmen coined the phrase "plausible deniability," that's become our national motto."
• "To the skeptic's ear, when the word "plausible" needs to be included, this is a warning sign that what is described may not, in fact, be so plausible."
• "The Gang of Six relies on what it calls a "plausible baseline" of future tax rates, but that baseline does not assume a continuation of current tax policies."