permissible
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word 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.
Are the exceptions that every parent would make for their child morally permissible?
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
"The gifts at issue here have nothing to do with any of these individuals' official government duties, and are entirely permissible under relevant legal and ethical standards," the official added.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Nirvana had made this small corporate alliance permissible a couple of years earlier, finding a loophole as Cobain wore a T-shirt that read “Corporate Magazines Still Suck” on their Rolling Stone cover.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
The National Mining Association, the main lobbying group for mining firms in the United States, told AFP it "absolutely supports" the new lower permissible silica exposure limit.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
But once you passed through the Colonial doorways, with only an occasional fan window or low relief pillar to suggest that a certain muted adornment was permissible, you entered an extravaganza of Pompadour splendor.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
