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; 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

"It's so beautiful that Jamie Lloyd made such an accessible moment of theatre for people to walk by and witness something really really cool."

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026

Two private hot spots, Berckmans Place and Map & Flag, have dining, entertainment and shopping accessible only to invited guests.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

If confirmed, this approach could eventually lead to much smaller and more accessible detectors, offering a new way to observe some of the universe's most dramatic events.

From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 2026

The plane, which was en route to the island, crashed on landing around 12:20 p.m. in Avalon in a rugged, not easily accessible area, prompting an emergency response from the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

Some of the shelves were so tall they were only accessible by ladders and catwalks, which ran across the ceiling like theater scaffolding.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• available
• handy
• reachable
• usable