preferable
Americanadjective
Usage
Since preferable already means more desirable, one should not say something is more preferable or most preferable
Other Word Forms
- nonpreferability noun
- nonpreferable adjective
- nonpreferableness noun
- nonpreferably adverb
- preferability noun
- preferableness noun
- preferably adverb
- unpreferable adjective
- unpreferableness noun
- unpreferably adverb
Etymology
Origin of preferable
From the French word préfsptérable, dating back to 1640–50. See prefer, -able
Explanation
When one thing seems like a better option than another, it is preferable. If you would rather have chocolate ice cream than vanilla, it means that chocolate is preferable to you. Graduating from high school is usually preferable to dropping out, and traveling a long distance by train is always preferable to getting there on roller skates. The hardest thing about preferable is pronunciation: remember to place the stress on the first syllable, pref, and not on the second syllable as in the word prefer.
Vocabulary lists containing preferable
Commonly Misspelled Words, List 3
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -able, -ible
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Novel Study: Anthem, Chapters 1–6
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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.
The Dodgers have made clear that saving an inning for the postseason is preferable to spending it during the regular season.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026
And only one seems preferable for buyers and sellers in a housing market that’s been constrained by high interest rates and out-of-reach prices for several years.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 3, 2026
Europe’s regulatory machine is slow and bureaucratic, but for long-term decisions, slow and predictable is preferable to fast and erratic.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026
For Grimsby boss Artell, a "bowling green" surface much closer in quality to the one his side stunned Manchester United on in the League Cup earlier this season would also have been preferable.
From BBC • Feb. 15, 2026
At that moment it seemed that any action under heaven would have been preferable to standing.
From "Native Son" by Richard Wright
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.
