Legible
What it means
Clear enough in its visual form to be read without strain.
Reach for it when praising handwriting, print, labels, or display text for readability
The medic wrote a legible dosage note despite the crowded field station.
Words to choose between 6
| everyday | |
|---|---|
| warm | |
| professional |
|
| formal |
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everyday
Fits when the message or appearance is easy to make out
Careful Clear covers more territory and does not specifically concern written characters.
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everyday
Fits when overall ease of reading includes wording and layout
Careful Readable can praise writing style even when the handwriting is poor.
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warm
Fits when orderly handwriting is the quality being praised
Careful Neat script can use unfamiliar forms that remain hard to read.
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professional
Fits when printing or display edges appear sharply defined
Careful Crisp says nothing about size, contrast, or language.
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formal
decipherable
Fits when the text can be worked out with some effort
Careful Decipherable sets a lower bar than comfortably legible.
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formal
Fits when individual marks are sharply separated
Careful Distinct lettering may still be too small to be legible.
Opposites 3
- illegible
- indecipherable
- blurred
Common phrases 3
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legible handwriting
Legible handwriting prevented confusion during the shift change.
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clearly legible
Every emergency label remained clearly legible in dim light.
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barely legible
The faded date was barely legible beneath the dust.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Vealhurl, Southern England accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated