passable

[ pas-uh-buhl, pah-suh- ]

/ ˈpæs ə bəl, ˈpɑ sə- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR passable ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

capable of being passed through, beyond, or over; fit to be traversed, penetrated, crossed, etc., as a road, forest, or stream.

adequate; acceptable: a passable knowledge of French.

capable of being circulated legally or having a valid currency, as a coin.

capable of being or liable to be ratified or enacted: passable legislation.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

pass up, pass with flying colors, pass-fail, pass-through, pass., passable, passably, passacaglia, passade, passado, passage

Origin of passable

1375–1425; late Middle English < Middle French; see pass, -able

SYNONYMS FOR passable

2 presentable, respectable, allowable, tolerable, fair.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR passable ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

pass·a·ble·ness, nounun·pass·a·ble, adjective

Can be confused

passable passible

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for passable

A serious presidential campaign should have at least a passable answer to an obvious, expected, and potentially disabling attack.
Mitt Romney Lost the Summer: Tax Returns, Overseas Gaffes, & More|Robert Shrum|August 8, 2012|DAILY BEAST
What passable comedy has existed in these bleak times has largely sprung from the camp of writer/director/producer Judd Apatow.
‘Ted’ Is Funny: So What Killed the Movie Comedy?|Richard Rushfield|July 2, 2012|DAILY BEAST
You might expect charming or at least passable small talk to be a gateway skill for a politician.
The Awkwardness Olympics|Jill Lawrence|August 23, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Her instructions were clear and I eventually produced a passable batch of puff.
The Art of Making Puff Pastry|Kate Weiner|February 23, 2011|DAILY BEAST

And on any other network, The Biggest Loser's ratings would merely be passable.
NBC, You've Blown It Again!|Jace Lacob|October 26, 2010|DAILY BEAST
It is passable, for those who can climb a little, and whose clothes do not mind nail-rip or paint-stain.
It Never Can Happen Again|William De Morgan
A gravel surfacing on this section makes it passable the whole year round.
Third Biennial Report of the Oregon State Highway Commission|S. Benson, W. L. Thompson, R. A. Booth, Herbert Nunn
The 3rd Brigade with camels would follow if the road was passable.
The Story of the Malakand Field Force|Sir Winston S. Churchill
He says she looks like a heathen Chinee but otherwise is passable.
Turn About Eleanor|Ethel M. Kelley
The wine was not first-rate, but passable; no sweets: of course one must expect to be deprived of something.
Legends of the Bastille|Frantz Funck-Brentano

British Dictionary definitions for passable

passable

/ (ˈpɑːsəbəl) /

adjective

adequate, fair, or acceptablea passable speech

(of an obstacle) capable of being passed or crossed

(of currency) valid for general circulation

(of a proposed law) able to be ratified or enacted

Derived Forms

passableness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012