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.

---

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

---

Other Word Forms

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

See Examples For:

accessible

Continuous-variable entangled states can be produced efficiently and are therefore relatively accessible.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 31, 2026

"There are no roads, they have all been washed away, and many areas are just not accessible," he told AFP.

From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026

Phil events more accessible at a time when tickets to see the orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl are, on average, about $48, Fuentes said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026

"It's accessible in all weathers, it goes on for miles, it's an absolute pleasure to walk on, it's beautiful and I appreciate the nature all around me whilst on the path," she said.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

Legalistic debates over federal versus state sovereignty were just the most accessible handles to grab, the safest and most politically suitable ways to talk about alternative national visions.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Words

• available
• handy
• reachable
• usable