adjective
passable
PA-suh-buhl
Passable (adjective) means Good enough to be acceptable, though not excellent. Example: “His French was passable, if a little rusty.”
adjective
1
Good enough to be acceptable, though not excellent.
"His French was passable, if a little rusty."
2
Able to be travelled or crossed.
"The mountain road is only passable in summer."
How to use passable
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither "okay, not great" (for quality) or "able to be crossed" (for a road, river, etc).
Common pairings
a passable attempt
barely passable
passable road
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Word forms
- Comparative
- more passable
- Superlative
- most passable
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
His French was _____, if a little rusty.
Etymology
From French passable, built from "pass" plus the suffix -able, "able to be."
Synonyms
View more →Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for passable
See all rhymes for passable →Frequently asked questions
What does “passable” mean?
The word “passable” means good enough to be acceptable, though not excellent. In plain terms, either "okay, not great" (for quality) or "able to be crossed" (for a road, river, etc).
How do you pronounce “passable”?
“Passable” is pronounced PA-suh-buhl (/ˈpæsəbəl/ in IPA).
How do you use “passable” in a sentence?
Here is “passable” used in a sentence: “His French was passable, if a little rusty.”
What part of speech is “passable”?
“Passable” is an adjective.
Where does the word “passable” come from?
The word “passable” comes from French. From French passable, built from "pass" plus the suffix -able, "able to be.".
How many meanings does “passable” have?
“Passable” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: good enough to be acceptable, though not excellent.
