presentable
Americanadjective
-
that may be presented.
-
suitable or socially acceptable in appearance, dress, manners, etc., as for being introduced into society.
a presentable young man.
- Synonyms:
- acceptable, proper, becoming
-
of sufficiently good, clothed, or clean appearance; fit to be seen.
Are you presentable now?
adjective
-
fit to be presented or introduced to other people
-
fit to be displayed or offered
Other Word Forms
- nonpresentability noun
- nonpresentable adjective
- nonpresentableness noun
- nonpresentably adverb
- presentability noun
- presentableness noun
- presentably adverb
- unpresentable adjective
- unpresentableness noun
- unpresentably adverb
Etymology
Origin of presentable
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; present 2, -able
Explanation
When someone is presentable, they're clean and tidy and generally pulled together. They're prepared for interacting with other people. When you first roll out of bed in the morning, you rarely feel very presentable. Before you head off to school or work, you'll want to glance in the mirror to make sure you're somewhat presentable. For some of us, this means a shower, a hair dryer, makeup, and carefully chosen clothing, while for others it means trading pajamas for a comfortable pair of jeans. Since the early 1800s, presentable has meant "appearing suitable" or "fit to be seen." Before that, it had a purely legal meaning, "liable to be charged with wrongdoing."
Vocabulary lists containing presentable
"Thank You, M'am"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Locomotion
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Thank You, M'am" and "Juvenile Justice"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
He is interested in the world and he loves digesting information in clear and presentable ways.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026
Beyond Rufus, Amazon’s AI helps sellers to make their pitches more presentable, and shoppers use it to get fit recommendations, skim highlights of customer reviews, and search for objects by pointing their cameras at them.
From Barron's • Nov. 26, 2025
Early in September, I made myself presentable to catch a screening of “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale,” mainly to evaluate whether the spread lives up to the title’s promise.
From Salon • Nov. 1, 2025
His famous coif might be styled to look some version of presentable on TV, but it’s not all that surprising that it looks a little thin from below.
From Slate • Oct. 14, 2025
She declared she was at her wits’ end to come up with a presentable meal.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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.
