compatible

[kuh m-pat-uh-buh l]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR compatible ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

capable of existing or living together in harmony: the most compatible married couple I know.

able to exist together with something else: Prejudice is not compatible with true religion.

consistent; congruous (often followed by with): His claims are not compatible with the facts.

Computers.

(of software) capable of being run on another computer without change.
(of hardware) capable of being connected to another device without the use of special equipment or software.

Electronics. (of a device, signal, etc.) capable of being used with equipment in a system without the need for special modification or conversion.

noting a system of television in which color broadcasts can be received on ordinary sets in black and white.

noun

something, as a machine or piece of electronic equipment, that is designed to perform the same tasks as another, often in the same way and using virtually identical parts, programmed instructions, etc.: Software written for one computer will probably run on its close compatibles.

Origin of compatible

1425–75; late Middle English < Medieval Latin compatibilis, derivative of Late Latin compatī (Latin com- com- + patī to suffer, undergo). See -ible

Related formscom·pat·i·bil·i·ty, com·pat·i·ble·ness, nouncom·pat·i·bly, adverbnon·com·pat·i·ble, adjectivenon·com·pat·i·bly, adverbnon·com·pat·i·ble·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for compatibility

unity, rapport, empathy, fit, sympathy, congeniality, amity, agreement, congruity, consonance, agreeableness, affinity

Examples from the Web for compatibility

Contemporary Examples of compatibility

The compatibility of these two activist First Ladies across the generations is incredibly strong.
Channeling Eleanor
Eleanor Clift
September 9, 2014
“An awful lot of people with money to invest may not have compatibility with what they buy,” Thompson notes.
Rupert Murdoch Invests in Edgy Upstart Media Company Vice
William O’Connor
August 19, 2013
His compatibility with the domestic superwoman herself was “fabulous,” a site representative told him.
Meet Martha Stewart’s Internet Soulmate
Abby Haglage
May 2, 2013
Compatibility is hard enough to come by without tossing racial exclusivity into the mix.
Tiger's Thing for White Girls
Elizabeth Gates
December 8, 2009

Historical Examples of compatibility

There is some question as to the compatibility of this act with Imperial law.
Copyright: Its History and Its Law
Richard Rogers Bowker
This, of course, is not sufficient to determine her fitness or compatibility.
The Way of Decision
M. C. Pease
Romance is waste, love is unreasoning; compatibility alone is worth while.
The Kempton-Wace Letters
Jack London
Compatibility and common tastes, you know, Joe, and all that sort of thing.
Then I'll Come Back to You
Larry Evans
And there have been doubts about hair-powder and its compatibility with tragic purposes.
A Book of the Play
Dutton Cook

British Dictionary definitions for compatibility

compatible

adjective

(usually foll by with) able to exist together harmoniously

(usually foll by with) consistent or congruousher deeds were not compatible with her ideology

(of plants)

capable of forming successful grafts
capable of successful self-fertilizationSee self-compatible, self-incompatible

(of pieces of machinery, computer equipment, etc) capable of being used together without special modification or adaptationa PC-compatible disc

Derived Formscompatibility or compatibleness, nouncompatibly, adverb

Word Origin for compatible

C15: from Medieval Latin compatibilis, from Late Latin compatī to be in sympathy with; see compassion

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for compatibility

compatible

adj.

mid-15c., from Middle French compatible (15c.), from Medieval Latin compatibilis, from Late Latin compati (see compassion). Related: Compatibility.

compatibility in Medicine

compatible

[kəm-păt′ə-bəl]

adj.

Capable of existing or performing in harmonious or agreeable combination.

Capable of being grafted, transfused, or transplanted from one individual to another without reaction or rejection.

Capable of forming a chemically or biochemically stable system.