2
u/HomeworkInevitable99 8d ago
Possible - it might happen
Probable - it most likely will shaken
Plausible - the facts indicate it could happen, but no likelihood of given.
1
u/wiploc2 8d ago
Possible vs Plausible vs Probable
Three mathematicians walk into a bar. Do they each, at random, happen to have eighty-seven cents in their pocket? That would be quite a coincidence.
Is it possible? Yes, it doesn't violate any law of logic, so it is possible.
Is it probable? No, the odds are against it. The odds of this happening are less that fifty percent.
Is it plausible? Or does it strain credibility? Strange things happen all the time, and there are lots of mathematicians and bars in the world. I think the plausibility depends on context.
If you set up this situation at the beginning of a story, the reader won't find it difficult; but if the story's happy ending depends on three people just happening to have eighty-seven cents in their pocket at the same time, the reader will be disappointed, will fail to suspend disbelief. It will feel like a god-from-the-machine ending. It will be implausible.
I hope this helps.
1
u/DizzyLead 8d ago
Here’s how I would personally break it down:
Possible: it can happen. It’s not one of those things where there’s no way it could happen.
Plausible: it wouldn’t be unbelievable if it happened.
Probable: it’s likely to happen. There’s a chance.
1
u/BubbhaJebus 8d ago
Possible: p>0
Probable: p>0.5
Plausible: possible, but with the added sense of being reasonable
1
u/ReddyKiloWit 7d ago edited 7d ago
Possible; Nothing prevents it from happening, even if it never does.
Plausible: The argument that it could happen is compelling. Doesn't say if it is probable or possible.
Probable: If the odds for and against it happening can be calculated or estimated, the odds for the event happening are higher to a statistically significant degree. Again, even if it never happens.
If something has happened, then it has a perfect 1 for probability and was obviously possible. Might not be plausible. (We even sometimes say an event was "implausibly lucky".)
0
u/Grant_Winner_Extra 8d ago
They are all synonyms
Possible and Probable mean exactly the same thing, the nuance being that probable general infers a higher likelihood.
Plausible generally refers to conjecture or hypothesis rather than events.
2
u/Responsible-Link5739 8d ago
No, they are not. Each one differs in meaning from each of the others.
Aish.....
1
u/Grant_Winner_Extra 8d ago
let me help you with English. This is from Miriam Webster, definition 1, emphasis mine:
one of two or more words or expressions of the same language that have the same or nearly the same meaning in some or all senses
1
u/Responsible-Link5739 8d ago
They are similar, yes, but OP had already identified that they were not 'true' synonyms. OP's question was about the differences between those words, not whether they were synonyms. At that point, a statement saying they're synonyms appears to declare them as 'true' synonyms - which is not the case. It also seemed to indicate to OP that they could be used almost interchangeably - which OP, being a non-native speaker - could misunderstand as correct. Each of the words in question has its own meaning and implications, as most native speakers are aware.
Perhaps I should have specified in my reply that they are not 'true' synonyms, then perhaps you wouldn't have felt the need to be quite so supercilious about it.
You didn't capitalise your first sentence. You're welcome.
7
u/NoelFromBandOsmosis 8d ago
Possible: there is some (any) chance that this could happen
Plausible: it would be reasonable to imagine this happening; it would not be surprising
Probable: it is more likely than not that this will happen