preferable

[pref-er-uh-buhl, pref-ruh-, pri-fur-]

adjective

1. more desirable.

2. worthy to be preferred.

preferable

/ ˈprɛfrəbəl, ˈprɛfərəbəl /

adjective

1. preferred or more desirable

Usage

Since preferable already means more desirable, one should not say something is more preferable or most preferable

Other Word Forms

• preferability noun
• preferableness noun
• preferably adverb
• nonpreferability noun
• nonpreferable adjective
• nonpreferableness noun
• nonpreferably adverb
• unpreferable adjective
• unpreferableness noun
• unpreferably adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of preferable¹

From the French word préfsptérable, dating back to 1640–50. See prefer, -able

Example Sentences

If you can swing it, check out local hotels for separate lodgings, which may be preferable to your overcrowded childhood home or sleeping on a couch in someone’s living room.

Read more on Salon

According to a poll published on Thursday by El Pais daily, almost one-quarter of Spaniards aged 18 to 28 believed an authoritarian regime may "sometimes" be preferable to a democracy.

Read more on Barron's

And while actual human contact is preferable, it has real drawbacks.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But he suggested that such a deal was preferable to the kind of private equity investment that English rugby union has accepted.

Read more on BBC

Working with regional allies is preferable as a policy, but sometimes unilateral U.S. force is necessary against jihadists.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• desirable 
• excellent 
• preferred www.thesaurus.com
• superior