practicable
Americanadjective
-
capable of being done, effected, or put into practice, with the available means; feasible.
a practicable solution.
- Synonyms:
- attainable, achievable, workable
- Antonyms:
- unfeasible
-
capable of being used.
a practicable gift.
-
Theater. (of a stage property or part of a set) designed or constructed for actual use; a practicable window; practicable water faucets.
adjective
-
capable of being done; feasible
-
usable
Related Words
See possible.
Other Word Forms
- nonpracticability noun
- nonpracticable adjective
- nonpracticableness noun
- nonpracticably adverb
- practicability noun
- practicableness noun
- practicably adverb
Etymology
Origin of practicable
1660–70; < Medieval Latin practic ( āre ) to practice + -able
Explanation
Something that is practicable is something that can be reasonably done. Look at the word within the word, practice, plus the suffix -able, and you have something that is able to be put into practice, or practicable. Practicable is an adjective built from the word practice and can thus be traced to the Medieval Latin verb practicare and the Medieval French pratiquer, both of which meant "to practice." With the addition of a "c" to remind us of "practice," the French praticable, "able to be put into practice," became the English practicable.
Vocabulary lists containing practicable
The Launch of Sputnik 1
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30 GRE Words Beginning with "P"
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This Week in Words: June 25 - 29, 2018
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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.
Obama made clear that these were temporary measures and that the government would sell off its stockholdings as soon as that was practicable.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 21, 2025
“To the maximum extent practicable, the needs of the charter school must be given the same consideration as those of the district-run schools.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 25, 2025
Second, the ACA states explicitly that the panel “shall be independent and, to the extent practicable, not subject to political pressure.”
From Slate • Jun. 27, 2025
Joel Bamford, executive director for mergers at the CMA, wrote that measures put forward by the companies represented "as comprehensive a solution as is reasonable and practicable".
From BBC • Oct. 4, 2024
These policies manipulated the differences between the tribes and ensured that unity would not exist, thereby making the easy governance of such a large country practicable.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
