curable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of curable
1350–1400; Middle English (< Middle French ) < Latin cūrābilis, equivalent to cūrā ( re ) to care for (derivative of cūra care) + -bilis -ble
Explanation
Something curable can be fixed or healed. A curable illness or disorder can be treated and recovered from. A bad infection can be scary, but it's most often curable with antibiotics. There are even types of cancer that, while serious, can be treated and are therefore considered curable. Another meaning of curable is "able to be hardened, or cured." You might apply several coats of a curable coating after sanding and staining your dining room table. The Latin root is cura, "care or concern," and also "means of healing."
Vocabulary lists containing curable
Power Suffix: -able
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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.
Curable conditions could include respiratory infections or broken bones.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 21, 2024
Curable conditions like flu, pneumonia, anemia and diarrhea become life-threatening.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 26, 2023
She was aided by an app called Curable.
From Washington Post • Apr. 12, 2022
By the early 1960s Ms. Didion was writing for Vogue, Mademoiselle and National Review, often on topics like “Jealousy: Is It a Curable Illness?”
From New York Times • Dec. 23, 2021
"Curable delusion, in my opinion," the surgeon added, "if the experiment could be fairly tried."
From The Lock and Key Library Classic Mystery and Detective Stories: Modern English by Castle, Egerton
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.
