plausible deniability

English

Etymology

Originally CIA jargon from the 1950s, and popularized during the Watergate scandal (1970s).[1]

Noun

plausible deniability (usually uncountable, plural plausible deniabilities)

Examples

Country A wants to invade Country B, but wishes to avoid further escalation and unwanted attention. An operation with plausible deniability may involve recruiting mercenaries manned with dissidents from Country B (technically apart from Country A's standing army), then use them to launch the invasion from Country C (an ally of Country A). This would have made the whole operation purportedly a civil war, thus the internal affairs, of Country B.

  1. (politics, business, military, espionage) The organization of clandestine activity in such a way that knowledge of its existence may be denied by those in authority.
    • 1987 July 16, Meyer Rangell, “Letters: Deniable Plausibility?”, in The New York Times‎[1], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 4 January 2026:
      Lieut. Col. Oliver L. North may have added a memorable phrase to the lexicon of political obfuscation at the Iran-contra hearings when he referred to his concern for "plausible deniability" as he carried out his covert activities.
    • 2001 June 24, Douglas C. Waller, “The Americans Left Behind”, in Time‎[2], New York, N.Y.: Time Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 29 July 2021:
      Americans would stand out in the Laotian jungle, and Washington needed to retain plausible deniability. CIA officials demanded that Laotians on their payroll carry out the mission.
    • 2014 October 8, Davia Temin, “The Role Of Boards In Crisis”, in Forbes‎[3], archived from the original on 16 August 2025:
      No longer is plausible deniability acceptable, either for boards or for management. Corporate and nonprofit boards alike are expected to know of problems that are brewing deep within their organizations.

Translations

References

  1. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “plausible”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
This page is issued from Wiktionary. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.