affordable
Americanadjective
noun
Usage
What does affordable mean? If something is affordable, it means its price is low enough that you (or most people) have enough money to buy it. Affordable is the adjective form of the verb afford. If you can afford something, you have enough money to pay for it. Much less commonly, affordable can be used as a noun meaning an item that one can afford. Example: Rachel wants to buy a luxury car, but with her budget I think she should consider a more affordable option.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of affordable
Explanation
If something is affordable, it's priced reasonably, and you have enough money to buy it. Your friends might be jealous that the bike you bought at a yard sale was so affordable. If you live in an affordable city, it means that rents aren't too high for most of its residents, and if you buy an affordable dinner for yourself, it doesn't cost too much. The adjective affordable can either mean "cheap," or it can imply that even if it's expensive, you have enough money to easily buy it. The verb afford is at the root, and its earliest meaning was "accomplish." Gradually, afford came to have the meaning "manage to buy."
Vocabulary lists containing affordable
Michelle Obama's final address as First Lady (2017)
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History is made in PA: Clinton's DNC Acceptance Speech
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for May 7–May 13, 2022
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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.
People from Washington, D.C., and the surrounding suburbs have opted for Baltimore as a more affordable alternative.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Long a symbol of German industrial might, the brand dominated the West German market and sold well across Europe in the 1970s thanks to successful and affordable models like the Kadett and the Rekord.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
He previously told BBC News his policies include building "at least one affordable house, nationalising Adele and bring back Ceefax".
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
But creating an objective, fact-based way of measuring this and using it to establish appropriate drug pricing is our best chance to ensure we keep rewarding innovation while making healthcare accessible and affordable to everyone.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
But this other office offers only a photocopied list of affordable apartments, which is updated weekly and is already out of date.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
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.
