admissible
Americanadjective
-
that may be allowed or conceded; allowable.
an admissible plan.
-
capable or worthy of being admitted.
admissible evidence.
adjective
-
able or deserving to be considered or allowed
-
deserving to be admitted or allowed to enter
-
law (esp of evidence) capable of being or bound to be admitted in a court of law
Other Word Forms
- admissibility noun
- admissibleness noun
- admissibly adverb
- nonadmissibility noun
- nonadmissible adjective
- nonadmissibleness noun
- nonadmissibly adverb
- unadmissible adjective
- unadmissibleness noun
- unadmissibly adverb
Etymology
Origin of admissible
1605–15; < Latin admiss- ( admission ) + -ible; or < French, formed from same elements
Explanation
Something that's admissible is allowed or relevant. Admissible evidence in court is evidence that a judge permits to be brought forward. Evidence that's admissible is valid — it has some measure of reliability, and it makes sense in the context of a particular trial. You'll almost always find the adjective admissible describing such evidence, though the word had been around for about 200 years before it gained this legal meaning. Its Latin root is admittere, "to allow to enter, let in, or give access."
Vocabulary lists containing admissible
Monster
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -able, -ible
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-ible
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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.
In a statement, Assistant District Attorney Kim D’Avignon blamed her office’s failure to secure an indictment on a lack of admissible evidence that would have proven the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026
The evidence might have been admissible under a change in California law passed in 2020, which lowered the standard for charging officers in fatal use-of-force cases, but it did not apply retroactively, Hochman said.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 21, 2025
Wiretaps and recorded conversations without the knowledge of the parties aren’t legally admissible in Colombian courts.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 21, 2025
That hearing will consider what parts of the report, if any, will be admissible during the resentencing hearing.
From BBC • Apr. 17, 2025
Even when agents seemed to be moving on the right track, they had not managed to produce any evidence that would be admissible in a court of law.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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.
