appreciable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived 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.
The Conference Board’s result was at odds with a University of Michigan survey that showed an appreciable March decline.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
The White House maintains that Trump’s will yield appreciable benefits in the future.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 6, 2025
Glass-vitrine walls teasingly appreciable at great distances, even from the grand hall below, house dense, globe-trotting displays of ceramics.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 29, 2025
However, any frustration South Africa may have felt gave way to a sense of what might be possible in more appreciable conditions for batting after they were set a target of 282 for victory.
From BBC • Jun. 13, 2025
There was no evidence that hydrogen ions had charged around Edlefsen’s “rather sketchy” apparatus at all, much less at any appreciable fraction of 1 million electron volts.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
