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

Good enough to be acceptable, though not excellent.

"His French was passable, if a little rusty."

Able to be travelled or crossed.

"The mountain road is only passable in summer."

How to use passable

Learner’s notes

In 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

Word forms

more passable comparative, most passable superlative

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His French was _____, if a little rusty.

Etymology

From French passable, built from "pass" plus the suffix -able, "able to be."

Origin: French

Rhymes for passable

able fable cable table viable liable stable tenable parable affable amiable notable

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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.