demonstrable

American  

[dih-mon-struh-buhl, dem-uhn-] / dɪˈmɒn strə bəl, ˈdɛm ən- /

adjective

1. capable of being demonstrated or proved.

2. clearly evident; obvious.

   a demonstrable lack of concern for the general welfare.

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demonstrable British  

/ dɪˈmɒn-, ˈdɛmənstrəbəl, dɪˈmɒn-, ˈdɛmənstrəblɪ /

adjective

1. able to be demonstrated or proved

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Other Word Forms

• demonstrability noun
• demonstrableness noun
• demonstrably adverb
• nondemonstrability noun
• nondemonstrable adjective
• nondemonstrableness noun
• undemonstrable adjective
• undemonstrableness noun

Etymology

Origin of demonstrable

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin dēmonstrābilis, equivalent to Latin dēmonstrā(re) ( demonstrate ) + -bilis -ble

Explanation

If you can demonstrate to me how something works, then it must be demonstrable. You might think that word should be "demonstratable," but you'd be wrong — that word doesn't exist. Who can say why some words change a little when we change their part of speech. They just do. The verb demonstrate means to show or instruct. The adjective shortens the root to become demonstrable. The steps for buckling a seatbelt must be easily demonstrable, or people will go flying all over the cabin. Demonstrable is often used to refer to the truth of something: if something isn't demonstrable, then we can't really say that it exists, can we?

Example Sentences

The online-trading company is making demonstrable progress as it keeps its generous capital return policy, the analysts say.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

AI technology delivers demonstrable clinical benefits in specific applications when properly deployed and integrated into existing workflows.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026

Real economic value: Whether it’s AI-facilitated cost cuts, reduced settlement times due to stablecoins or improved liquidity via tokenization, business cases must be demonstrable.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 16, 2026

That actually takes this beyond Judge Boasberg’s saga, because this seems to involve cut-and-dry, eminently demonstrable perjury.

From Slate • Dec. 20, 2025

While hardly true, this explanation had the demonstrable advantage of permitting Jefferson’s vision of a Federalist conspiracy to congeal in a plausible pattern that formed around Washington without touching him directly.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Words

• conclusive
• irrefutable
• obvious
• undeniable
• unmistakable
• verifiable