estimable
Americanadjective
-
worthy of esteem; deserving respect or admiration.
What an estimable young woman; a renowned neurosurgeon at 26.
- Synonyms:
- good, excellent, meritorious, laudable, admirable, respectable, reputable
- Antonyms:
- contemptible
-
capable of being estimated.
The cost to society of drug addiction is hardly estimable.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- estimableness noun
- estimably adverb
- nonestimable adjective
- nonestimableness noun
- nonestimably adverb
- unestimable adjective
Etymology
Origin of estimable
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin aestimābilis, equivalent to aestim(āre) “to value, price, set the monetary value of” + -ābilis, an adjective suffix; esteem, -able
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 estimable Fred Kagan of the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute says the “optimal end game” for the U.S. now is to prove it can reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
The book is ostensibly “authored” by McCartney even though it is an oral history that has been edited by Ted Widmer, an estimable historian and a former speechwriter for Bill Clinton.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 30, 2025
I was hoping Joe would feel some similarly competitive outrage toward the rolling trapezoid, deficient in Americana, ignorant of history, nothing like the estimable Hummer.
From Slate • Jun. 22, 2025
As opposed to covering a single legacy artist, this year’s all-star Seattle crew — featuring Ben Gibbard, Jessica Dobson of Deep Sea Diver, Shaina Shepherd and more — pays tribute to Sub Pop’s estimable catalog.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 13, 2023
I found estimable characters amongst them—characters desirous of information and disposed for improvement—with whom I passed many a pleasant evening hour in their own homes.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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.
