perfectible

American

[per-fek-tuh-buhl] / pərˈfɛk tə bəl /

adjective

capable of becoming or of being made perfect; improvable.

perfectible British

/ pəˈfɛktəbəl /

adjective

capable of becoming or being made perfect

"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

Other Word Forms

nonperfectibility noun
nonperfectible adjective
perfectibilist noun
perfectibility noun
self-perfectibility noun
unperfectible adjective

Etymology

Origin of perfectible

1625–35; < French < Medieval Latin perfectibilis. See perfect, -ible

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.

There is a belief among many of these folks that human nature is, if not maybe perfectible, that there's a kind of openness, what bell hooks talks about as revolutionary love.

From Salon • Apr. 10, 2022

Since real people are far from perfectible, they must be forced to assume their places in Utopia.

From Slate • Jan. 20, 2017

For my part, I have always believed that American democracy is not perfect, but it is perfectible.

From Time • Nov. 2, 2016

The human form, and thus the human spirit, is perfectible.

From The Guardian • May 11, 2013

All Mankind seemed perfectible & we had Painters & Poets & we were indeed Lords of Matter, all number’d cleanly & meetly.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023