alterable

American  

[awl-ter-uh-buhl] / ˈɔl tər ə bəl /

adjective

1. capable of being altered.

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Other Word Forms

• alterability noun
• alterableness noun
• alterably adverb
• realterable adjective
• realterableness noun
• realterably adverb

Etymology

Origin of alterable

First recorded in 1520–30; alter + -able

Explanation

Alterable things can be updated, enhanced, or fixed, but do not change into something else. Pants that are four inches too long are alterable, and you can hem them to the proper length. Though alter and change might seem the same, there is a subtle difference. When we alter something we change only part of it. For instance, we humans are alterable because we can cut our hair or paint our nails or pierce our ears. Our clothing is alterable because we can change the way it fits or dye it a different color. If you're turning pants into socks and princes into frogs, you're not altering them. You've discovered magic.

Example Sentences

Certain alterable features of his appearance make him look insincere, untrustworthy and unlikable: He bares his lower teeth when he speaks and rarely smiles, which makes him look threatening.

From Salon • Jul. 24, 2023

They need to be easily alterable by the show’s wardrobe department, and to stay fresh without daily dry cleaning.

From New York Times • Sep. 7, 2021

All of this is easily alterable and incredibly superficial, and yes, it is accurate to how gender operates in some ways.

From Slate • Nov. 8, 2019

It’s all so framed by the sense that reality doesn’t exist any more, or at least not in a way that is alterable or questioning.

From The Guardian • Sep. 10, 2014

The cyclical movement of history was now intelligible, or appeared to be so; and if it was intelligible, then it was alterable.

From "1984" by George Orwell