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.
Their results suggest that some of the regions the solar system encountered may have produced measurable changes on Earth.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 2, 2026
The intense heat occurred partly because of how dry it was for much of the summer - with some areas seeing no measurable rainfall for more than two months, external.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
“Extreme” sounds dramatic without being specific, without requiring the speaker to identify a measurable standard.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 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
Further hint: one of the greatest measurable causes of the crime drop does not appear on the list at all, for it didn’t receive a single newspaper mention.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
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.
