permissible
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of permissible
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English word from Medieval Latin word permissibilis. See permission, -ible
Explanation
If something is permissible, then it is allowed. If it's not permissible then you probably shouldn't be doing it. If someone asked you, "Is it permissible for me to have a cupcake?" they're asking very formally for your permission to dig in. Usually the word permissible has to do with laws, rules, and what's generally acceptable. It's not permissible to take your pants off in public, for example. Wearing a hat inside is permissible according to the law, but it's not permissible according to church customs or your grandma's rules.
Vocabulary lists containing permissible
"Tinker v. Des Moines": Excerpts from Justice Fortas's Opinion
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -able, -ible
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The Most Beautiful Roof in the World
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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.
“Halal,” meaning permissible under Islamic law, is a designation most typically associated with procedures for animal slaughter and with the absence of pork or alcohol in consumable products.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
The legislation means parties can only accept money from a permissible donor.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
It does so clearly enough to pass the stringent test for permissible delegations that the Supreme Court has spelled out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
"It feels like we're hitting kind of the bottom of what is permissible, and if they keep going further, I think something's going to happen," Carassco said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
In the era of colorblindness, it is no longer socially permissible to use race, explicitly, as a justification for discrimination, exclusion, and social contempt.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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.
