understandable
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of understandable
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English: originally, “capable of understanding”; understand + -able
Explanation
Something understandable can be understood or grasped. It makes sense. Since understanding something means you comprehend or get it, when things are understandable, they can be perceived or fathomed. If a friend cancels plans to see a movie because he's sick, that's understandable. Leaving one job for a better paying job is understandable. Eating a lot of cake on your birthday is understandable. Understandable things are easy to grasp and no one is likely to doubt or question them. The opposite of understandable would be weird, odd, or inexplicable.
Vocabulary lists containing understandable
-able, -ible
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-able, -ible
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-able, -ible
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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.
So it’s entirely understandable if most of us aren’t into the labor aspect of the Lanterns’ audition process.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
“EQT’s approach is therefore understandable, given the option to make changes to the business and deliver stronger cash flow growth in the medium term,” says analyst Amit Kanwatia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Libraries, museums, and other institutions have understandable concerns about allowing researchers to take samples from rare and culturally important manuscripts if doing so might cause permanent damage.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
But if Iranian leaders judge that a controlled confrontation could offer greater strategic leverage, the decision becomes more understandable.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
“That's quite understandable if his brother, really has disappeared. But tell me: How could that happen? Were they on their own?”
From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke
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.
