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

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

Some experts have long called for benefit amounts to be increased, or for other changes to make the program more accessible and responsive to needs.

From Slate • Apr. 19, 2026

One of the oldest tourist attractions is the Devil's Arse - one of four caves in Castleton that are accessible to the public.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

But Dow cautioned the message isn’t to forgo childcare center regulations, but perhaps it’s to make high-quality childcare centers more accessible and affordable.

From Salon • Apr. 18, 2026

These results establish graphene as an accessible and cost-effective system for exploring ideas that are usually associated with extreme environments.

From Science Daily • Apr. 15, 2026

His insistence on hope and the potential for mobility, I was coming to see, came from an entirely different and not easily accessible place.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Related Words

• available
• handy
• reachable
• usable