accessible

American  

[ak-ses-uh-buhl, ik-] / ækˈsɛs ə bəl, ɪk- /

adjective

1. easy to approach, reach, enter, speak with, or use.

2. able to be used, entered, reached, etc..

   an accessible road; accessible Mayan ruins.

3. suitable for disabled people to reach, enter, or use, as a result of design modifications: modified controllers to make video games accessible.

   wheelchair-accessible vans;

   modified controllers to make video games accessible.

4. readily understandable.

   Students may believe that poetry is not accessible because of its metaphorical language.

5. obtainable; attainable.

   accessible evidence.

6. open to the influence of (usually followed byto ).

   accessible to bribery.

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accessible British  

/ əkˈsɛsəbəl /

adjective

1. easy to approach, enter, use, or understand

2. likely to be affected by; open to; susceptible to

3. obtainable; available

4. easy for disabled people to enter or use

5. logic (of a possible world) surveyable from some other world so that the truth value of statements about it can be known. A statement possibly p is true in a world W if and only if p is true in some worlds accessible to W

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unaccessible
  adjective
• accessibility
  noun
• nonaccessible
  adjective
• accessibly
  adverb
• preaccessible
  adjective
• unaccessibly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of accessible

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, Middle French, from Late Latin accessibilis; see origin at access, -ible

Explanation

Accessible can mean easy to get to. If the mall is easily accessible, you might be tempted to spend a lot of money on your lunch breaks. The "within reach" definition of the adjective accessible does not just refer to physical distance. A person can be accessible if they are approachable and friendly. A celebrity that is accessible probably signs a lot of autographs and grants interviews. The word can also describe something that is easily understood. You might need to read a plot summary of a long convoluted novel — to make it more accessible or easy to follow.

Example Sentences

In hardest-hit Sarangani province, some areas remain accessible only by helicopter while fears of aftershocks were slowing rescue efforts, local officials told reporters at a Tuesday briefing.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

Apple executives said that information shared with its AI system Apple Intelligence won’t be stored or accessible to Apple.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026

But reports suggest that the iPhone’s Dynamic Island will have a permanently accessible Siri animation, and that users will be able to swipe down to access a Search or Ask interface.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 6, 2026

As the medications become more accessible through price cuts and the introduction of a pill version, retailers are taking a harder line to keep returns in check.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

Other star systems are accessible to the human species, but only after great effort.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Related Words

• available
• handy
• reachable
• usable