appreciable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of appreciable
First recorded in 1810–20; appreci(ate) + -able
Explanation
Movie theater popcorn tastes much better than microwave popcorn. The difference between them is appreciable — that is, you notice it. A good way to remember appreciable is to think of the related word appreciate. You appreciate the quality of the popcorn at the movie theater because it is significantly better than what you make at home. Of course, appreciable differences aren't always appreciated. There has been an appreciable improvement in the quality of televisions in the last 20 years, but if you've got an old TV, that isn't much comfort.
Vocabulary lists containing appreciable
Novel Study: When Breath Becomes Air, Prologue–Part I
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Stan Freberg (1926-2015) Tribute List
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Anya and the Dragon
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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.
Bankers acknowledged the resonance of these issues but see no appreciable impact on the momentum behind the buildout.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
We found no appreciable difference between the two datasets.
From Salon ● Mar. 24, 2026
The Environmental Advisor of the Defence Estates, MoD has reviewed the report and considered that no appreciable dose had been detected at the surface and therefore the risks of exposure are considered to be low.
From BBC ● Feb. 20, 2026
Prerelease versions of 4o that were heavily trained with user signals didn’t show much appreciable improvement on internal evaluations of capabilities on things like science or reasoning, according to people who worked on the model.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 9, 2025
It had long been known that the Earth radiated appreciable amounts of heat–that was apparent to anyone who went down a coal mine–but there wasn’t any way of estimating the rate of dissipation.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
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.
