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Synonyms

livable

American  
[liv-uh-buhl] / ˈlɪv ə bəl /
Or liveable

adjective

  1. suitable for living in; habitable; comfortable.

    It took a lot of work to make the old house livable.

  2. worth living; endurable.

    She needed something to make life more livable.
    Synonyms:
    worthwhile, bearable, tolerable, enjoyable, inhabitable

  3. that can be lived with; companionable (often used in combination withwith ).

    polite and charming but not altogether livable-with.
livable British  
/ ˈlɪvəbəl /

adjective

  1. (of a room, house, etc) suitable for living in

  2. worth living; tolerable

  3. (foll by with) pleasant to live (with)

"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

Other Word Forms

  • livability noun
  • livableness noun
  • unlivable adjective

Etymology

Origin of livable

First recorded in 1605–15; live 1 + -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.

There was a laundry list of renovations needed to make the former sake brewery livable.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

Earth's magnetic field plays a critical role in making the planet livable.

From Science Daily • Feb. 25, 2026

Additionally, if individual car ownership declines, suburban homeowners could reclaim their garages and transform the square footage into livable space, Chi added.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 24, 2025

We spend our lives seeking some livable, sustained happiness.

From Salon • Nov. 27, 2025

There was the cost of buying slaves and their upkeep on one hand and paying white workers meager but livable wages on the other.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

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.