affordable

American  

[uh-fawr-duh-buhl] / əˈfɔr də bəl /

adjective

1. that can be afforded; believed to be within one's financial means.

   attractive new cars at affordable prices.

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noun

1. Usually affordables. items, expenses, etc., that one can afford.

   a variety of affordables for your gift list.

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

• affordability noun
• affordably adverb
• unaffordability noun
• unaffordable adjective

Etymology

Origin of affordable

First recorded in 1865–70; afford + -able

Example Sentences

The white metal is also much cheaper than gold, attracting a broad range of investors seeking more affordable safe-haven assets, and is widely used in industry—from the manufacture of solar panels to artificial-intelligence semiconductors.

From The Wall Street Journal

The guideline calls on countries and companies to expand access, through strategies such as voluntary licensing - where a pharmaceutical company grants permission for others to make affordable non-brand versions of its patented drug.

From BBC

For years now, NFL teams have prized young quarterbacks because of the brief window when they are on affordable deals.

From The Wall Street Journal

The New York Housing Conference, a nonprofit that promotes so-called affordable housing, warns in a new report that landlords will need $1 billion in government aid to avoid default.

From The Wall Street Journal

And in Virginia, Abigail Spanberger clinched the governor’s mansion on a campaign that named affordable child care and paid family and medical leave as essential to helping families make ends meet.

From Salon

Related Words

• cheap
• economical