measurable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of measurable
1300–50; Middle English mesurable < Middle French < Late Latin mēnsūrābilis that can be measured. See measure, -able
Explanation
If you can determine the exact size of something, it's measurable. Your Spanish class's average score on a test is measurable — but the amount of enthusiasm your classmates felt about taking the test isn't measurable. If you can measure something, figuring out its precise size, degree, or amount, then it's measurable. There's a measurable quantity of milk left in the fridge and a measurable amount of snow in your front yard. A slightly different way to use this adjective is to mean noticeable, or important enough to be measured. If there's a measurable improvement in your sister's mood after you help her clean her room, the difference is enough for you to notice — even if it's just slightly better.
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 organizations that will lead are those with mission alignment, governance discipline and the operational focus to move from pilots to measurable outcomes.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
If the box office is a fair, measurable indicator of how the public feels about these superhero archetypes, guess what?
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
The data should include test scores, grade-point averages, family income, Advanced Placement coursework and other measurable metrics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
This would continue to provide companies strong financial incentives to discover new, innovative therapies, while also ensuring that pricing is tied to objectively measurable value.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
Accurately measuring parallax was far from easy, particularly as it required a more exact measure of time than any sixteenth-century clock could provide, but showing that there was no measurable parallax was much more straightforward.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
