adjustable

[uh-juhs-tuh-buhl]

adjective

1. capable of being adjusted.

   adjustable seat belts.

2. (of loans, mortgages, etc.) having a flexible rate, as one based on money market interest rates or on the rate of inflation or cost of living.

3. (especially of life insurance) having flexible premiums and coverage, based on the insuree's current needs and ability to pay.

noun

1. any rate, expense, income, etc., that varies unpredictably.

   Luckily, his chief income is not made up of adjustables. Allow some money in your budget for the adjustables.

Other Word Forms

• adjustably adverb
• nonadjustable adjective
• nonadjustably adverb
• preadjustable adjective
• unadjustable adjective
• unadjustably adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of adjustable¹

First recorded in 1765–75; adjust + -able

Example Sentences

I bonds have interest that depends on a combination of a fixed rate and an adjustable rate.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It’s OK to start with a light vest, but getting an adjustable one is recommended, so you can increase the weight.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Below, your bum is having the time of its life being groped by the every-way adjustable driver’s seat.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

IXI's frames are adjustable but not to a great degree, given the delicate electronics inside, she explains: "We have some flexibility but not full flexibility."

Read more on BBC

They also typically lack precise, adjustable control of the sample environment.

Read more on Science Daily

Related Words

• flexible