habitable

[ hab-i-tuh-buhl ]

adjective

1. capable of being inhabited.

habitable

/ ˈhæbɪtəbəl /

adjective

1. able to be lived in

Derived Forms

• ˈhabitably, adverb
• ˌhabitaˈbility, noun

Other Words From

• habit·a·bili·ty habit·a·ble·ness noun
• habit·a·bly adverb
• nonhab·it·a·bili·ty noun
• non·habit·a·ble adjective
• non·habit·a·ble·ness noun
• non·habit·a·bly adverb
• un·habit·a·ble adjective
• un·habit·a·ble·ness noun
• un·habit·a·bly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of habitable¹

1350–1400; Middle English habitābilis, equivalent to habitā ( re ) to inhabit ( habitat ) + -bilis -ble; replacing Middle English abitable < Middle French

Example Sentences

A team of astronomers has found that Venus has never been habitable, despite decades of speculation that our closest planetary neighbour was once much more like Earth than it is today.

From Science Daily

New Curtin University-led research has uncovered what may be the oldest direct evidence of ancient hot water activity on Mars, revealing the planet may have been habitable at some point in its past.

From Science Daily

He imagined a future in which “resources and livable conditions are scarce. Scarcity is the rule, and requires a degree of self-interest. Population problems are beyond solution by migration. No habitable unclaimed lands remain.”

From Salon

Agricultural production uses up just under half of the planet's habitable land, which represents plenty of room for intervention.

From Salon

"So if there are habitable environments on Mars, those may be now deep underground."

From BBC

Related Words

• livable