slightly believable

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "slightly believable" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe something that is somewhat credible or plausible, but not entirely convincing. Example: "The plot of the movie was slightly believable, making it hard for the audience to fully engage with the story."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

60 human-written examples

The group discussed each recommendation and voted on how believable (believable, somewhat believable, or not believable) the evidence was.

British Medical Journal

Evidence was believable or somewhat believable against a recommendation for 1 in 8-10 recommendations.

British Medical Journal

That may be because Danny, an aspiring writer who works in the bar beneath their apartment, is a slightly more believable character from the start.

The New York Times - Arts

Slightly less believable to outsiders would be the industrial quantities of ink, megabytes and breath that have been expended this week on the desire of Collingwood's zero-game midfielder Nathan Freeman to orchestrate a trade to St Kilda.

The Guardian - Sport

In other (slightly more believable) royal news, Kate and William are apparently contemplating baby names.

Huffington Post

On the day before my first exam I didn't come in, to make it only slightly more believable.

Vice

This year I went for something slightly more believable and many degrees less flattering: I told my entire network that I'd adopted two more cats.

Huffington Post

If the attempted frame-up had happened in one of the gang neighborhoods of Los Angeles where he used to prosecute shootings, rather than in a rich, placid city in Orange County... if the cop who found the stash of drugs in Kelli Peters' car had been a rookie, rather than a sharp-eyed veteran … if she had been slightly less believable..

Los Angeles Times

Andy Dehnhart of MSNBC said that "while the writers and production designers deserve credit for offering worlds that were perhaps slightly more believable, they lost the fantastic, wondrous approach to space travel that The Next Generation borrowed from the original Star Trek and then perfected".

Wikipedia

In his approach to directing the film, Guest sought to make "a slightly wild story more believable" by creating a "science fact" film, shot "as though shooting a special programme for the BBC or something".

Wikipedia

In some ways, he's an ordinary bloke – he likes a fag and a pint, he's not above telling piss-taking scaffolders to fuck off and has a believable sex life (ie slightly unsatisfactory).

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "slightly believable" to express a measured assessment of credibility, indicating something is somewhat plausible but not entirely convincing. This is suitable when you want to convey a nuanced view without fully endorsing or dismissing an idea.

Common error

Avoid using "slightly believable" when you actually mean something is entirely credible or definitively true. The qualifier "slightly" significantly weakens the statement, and using it inappropriately can undermine your intended message.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "slightly believable" functions as an adjectival phrase, modifying a noun to indicate the degree to which something can be considered credible or plausible. According to Ludwig AI, this expression can be used to describe something that is somewhat credible or plausible, but not entirely convincing.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

35%

Science

30%

Wiki

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

10%

Encyclopedias

5%

Reference

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "slightly believable" serves as a nuanced descriptor for something that is somewhat credible but not entirely convincing. As Ludwig AI confirms, it's grammatically correct and widely used across various contexts, including news, science, and general discourse. When using this phrase, consider if a stronger or weaker term would be more accurate, such as ""somewhat credible"" or "barely believable", depending on the specific nuance you want to convey. Remember to avoid overstating the believability if there are still significant doubts. Overall, it is a valuable tool for expressing qualified agreement or measured assessment in both formal and informal settings.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Somewhat credible

Implies a certain level of believability, but not entirely convincing. It's a more formal alternative.

Marginally plausible

Suggests the idea is just barely believable or acceptable, indicating a higher degree of doubt.

Kind of believable

An informal phrase suggesting a moderate level of believability.

Partially credible

Highlights that only a part of something is believable, not the entirety.

Not entirely far-fetched

Suggests the idea isn't completely impossible or unbelievable, often used in narrative contexts.

Vaguely convincing

Suggests a weak sense of believability, more on the side of doubt.

Dubiously plausible

Points to believability being uncertain and questionable.

Questionably credible

Emphasizes doubt and uncertainty about the truthfulness or believability.

Barely believable

Indicates that something is at the very edge of what can be accepted as true.

Superficially plausible

Highlights that the believability is only on the surface level and does not hold up under scrutiny.

FAQs

How can I use "slightly believable" in a sentence?

You can use "slightly believable" to describe something that has some level of credibility but is not entirely convincing. For example, "His explanation was "slightly believable", but I still had my doubts."

What's a more formal synonym for "slightly believable"?

A more formal synonym for "slightly believable" is "somewhat credible". This phrase maintains a professional tone while conveying a similar meaning.

What's the difference between "slightly believable" and "completely believable"?

"Slightly believable" indicates a partial degree of credibility, while "completely believable" implies full and total acceptance. The former suggests some reservations, whereas the latter signifies certainty.

When should I use "barely believable" instead of "slightly believable"?

Use "barely believable" when something is almost impossible to accept, teetering on the edge of credibility. "Slightly believable" suggests a higher degree of plausibility than "barely believable".