durable
[doo r-uh-buh l, dyoo r-]
- able to resist wear, decay, etc., well; lasting; enduring.
- durables. durable goods.
Origin of durable
Synonyms
See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com1. permanent.
Antonyms
1. weak, transitory.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for durable
Contemporary Examples
But how much they have regained or how durable their hold is remains unclear.
The shirts are comfortable and elaborate and the suits feel relaxed yet durable.
Perhaps the most durable lesson of the Civil War is that the states cannot remain united if a handful make a break for the exits.
We fear that durable love is impossible unless both we and our mate love the way we look.
“The materials are surprisingly soft and durable,” Lee wrote in an email.
Historical Examples
The effect was not durable, and in a short time I ceased to think of what had happened.
Ned MyersJames Fenimore Cooper
And what passion can be durable which is so violent as hers, and to which no respite is allowed?
Tales And Novels, Volume 8 (of 10)Maria Edgeworth
It is one of the slowest, because one of the most durable, of agencies.
His first search was for a durable filament which would burn in a vacuum.
The Age of InventionHolland Thompson
Puriri timber is the strongest and most durable of any in the country.
Brighter Britain! (Volume 1 of 2)William Delisle Hay
durable
- long-lasting; enduringa durable fabric
Word Origin
C14: from Old French, from Latin dūrābilis, from dūrāre to last; see endure
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for durable
adj.
late 14c., from Old French durable (11c.), from Latin durabilis "lasting, permanent," from durare "to last, harden" (see endure). Durable goods attested from 1930.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper