permissible
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of permissible
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English word from Medieval Latin word permissibilis. See permission, -ible
Explanation
If something is permissible, then it is allowed. If it's not permissible then you probably shouldn't be doing it. If someone asked you, "Is it permissible for me to have a cupcake?" they're asking very formally for your permission to dig in. Usually the word permissible has to do with laws, rules, and what's generally acceptable. It's not permissible to take your pants off in public, for example. Wearing a hat inside is permissible according to the law, but it's not permissible according to church customs or your grandma's rules.
Vocabulary lists containing permissible
"Tinker v. Des Moines": Excerpts from Justice Fortas's Opinion
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -able, -ible
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The Most Beautiful Roof in the World
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Permissible hours for teens as young as 14 were extended to 9 p.m. from 7 p.m., the federal standard, during the school year.
From Los Angeles Times • May 2, 2025
Permissible at times in dramatic blank verse, it is in epic rejected by the best artists as a weakness.
From Essays Æsthetical by Calvert, George H. (George Henry)
Du Pont Permissible: nitroglycerine, ammonium nitrate, common salt.
From The New Gresham Encyclopedia Volume 4, Part 3: Estremoz to Felspar by Various
Permissible explosives tested prior to October 1, 1909.
From Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, vol. LXX, Dec. 1910 Federal Investigations of Mine Accidents, Structural Materials and Fuels. Paper No. 1171 by Wilson, Herbert M.
Permissible: The rime is called a "feminine rime".
From The Century Handbook of Writing by Greever, Garland
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
