measurable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- intermeasurable adjective
- measurability noun
- measurableness noun
- measurably adverb
- nonmeasurability noun
- nonmeasurable adjective
- nonmeasurableness noun
- nonmeasurably adverb
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.
“We believe there’s a clear model for the next-generation utility, where AI simplifies complexity and delivers measurable impact—and it’s something utilities can put to work today.”
From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026
“In the age of AI, it has become one of the most high-value channels for clients, delivering unparalleled cultural relevance, live engagement, and measurable impact.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026
Meanwhile figures such as Albert H. Munsell, a painter-turned-color-theorist, devised systems that mapped color by hue, value and chroma in an effort to translate perception into measurable terms.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
Since then, there has been a measurable increase in "artists voluntarily choosing to interrupt their own performances," according to the 2023 European Festival Report.
From BBC • Mar. 21, 2026
To claim that there existed a substance with no measurable attributes was, he maintained, to turn physics into a fantastical story, like Don Quixote.
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.
