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
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.
A group of academics agreed, claiming it was "overwhelmingly preferable to targeted testing based on allegations, suspicion and bias".
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
It’s distractingly eclectic but vastly preferable to sci-fi scores that just aim to sound, well, vast.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 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
Generally, this is preferable to asking a hypothetical in opinion polls, which are getting more difficult than ever to do well.
From Salon • Mar. 1, 2026
But still, it was, he had to admit, a highly preferable alternative to hanging by his ears from a post.
From "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane" by Kate DiCamillo
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.
