plausible
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plausible
Describes a statement, explanation, or line of argument that seems convincing, understandable, and credible.
Seine Erklärung für die Verspätung klang durchaus plausibel.
His explanation for the delay sounded quite plausible.
The noun 'die Plausibilität' (plausibility) belongs to this adjective. It describes the quality of being convincing or credible.
Der Detektiv überprüfte die Plausibilität der Zeugenaussage.
The detective checked the plausibility of the witness statement.
'Plausibel' (plausible) is very often used with verbs of perception or impression. Typical constructions are 'plausibel klingen' (to sound plausible), 'plausibel erscheinen' (to appear plausible), or 'plausibel wirken' (to seem plausible).
Ihre Argumentation klingt für mich nicht plausibel.
Her argument doesn't sound plausible to me.
The adjective often describes abstract nouns that express a justification or idea. Typical nouns are 'eine plausible Erklärung' (a plausible explanation), 'ein plausibler Grund' (a plausible reason), or 'ein plausibles Argument' (a plausible argument).
Für sein Fehlen nannte er einen plausiblen Grund.
He gave a plausible reason for his absence.
The word belongs more to elevated or educated language. It is often used in discussions, formal texts, or when one wants to give a rational assessment.
In der wissenschaftlichen Arbeit muss jede Hypothese plausibel begründet werden.
In academic work, every hypothesis must be plausibly justified.
probable / likely
Wahrscheinlich assesses whether a suspected explanation is actually correct. Plausibel, by contrast, assesses whether the explanation seems convincing, understandable, and credible. An explanation can therefore be plausible without automatically being the most likely one.
Die Erklärung, dass der Bus wegen des starken Schnees zu spät kam, ist plausibel.
The explanation that the bus was late because of the heavy snow is plausible.
Der Bus kam wahrscheinlich wegen des starken Schnees zu spät.
The bus was probably late because of the heavy snow.
