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.
British business groups have been briefed on the move and the EU's pushback that such an ambitious ask would not be negotiable with the government's existing red lines on, for example, freedom of movement.
From BBC • May 23, 2026
Commissions remain fully negotiable and market-driven, but in reality you can still expect to pay 5% or more.
From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026
As President Trump prepares for his summit with Xi Jinping, Taiwan is often described as one more negotiable item in a crowded U.S.-China agenda that also includes tariffs, rare earths, Iran, fentanyl and export controls.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026
“Guardrails are something that are negotiable based on what they are with all the companies, and they have different views on that,” he told CNBC.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
Adams was distinctive, however, for his tendency to regard even serious political and ideological differences as eminently negotiable once elemental bonds of personal trust and affection were established.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
