negotiable
Americanadjective
-
capable of being negotiated.
a negotiable salary demand.
-
(of bills, securities, etc.) transferable by delivery, with or without endorsement, according to the circumstances, the title passing to the transferee.
noun
adjective
-
able to be negotiated
-
(of a bill of exchange, promissory note, etc) legally transferable in title from one party to another
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of negotiable
First recorded in 1750–60; negoti(ate) + -able
Explanation
If you're told that a price is negotiable, that means you can talk it over until you reach an agreement. So don't start with your highest offer. Negotiable can also mean that a road or path can be used. Since the avalanche, you've found that many of the local roads are no longer negotiable. If you can pass on a possession to someone else, making them the owner, then it's said to be negotiable. The "t" in negotiable is pronounced "sh."
Vocabulary lists containing negotiable
Power Suffix: -able
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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.
"I said, for me, this is an emergency - I don't want to get stuck in the academy house in Coventry, I'm leaving tomorrow. I told Alfie, 'Sorry, it's really not negotiable!'"
From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026
He also said Iran's missile programme was "never negotiable" because it relates to a "defence issue".
From Barron's • Feb. 7, 2026
If markets conclude that tariff threats are ultimately negotiable rather than structural, volatility compresses and gold loses one of its key supports.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 26, 2026
Severance agreements are sometimes negotiable, she adds, so consider what your priorities would be.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025
They stopped the plane on the runway at Kennedy Airport and removed the doctor, who was carrying some $650,000 in negotiable securities, and jewelry that had belonged to his wife.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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.
