adjective
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(of handwriting, etc) able to be read or deciphered; legible
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(of style of writing) interesting, easy, or pleasant to read
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of readable
Explanation
Readable things can be understood, interpreted, or read fairly easily. A readable restaurant menu has print that's large and clear enough for diners to make it out. Whether or not something's readable is particularly important when you're conveying emergency instructions (like a sign showing how to help someone who's choking) or advertising something (customers can't find your store if they can't read the address in your advertisement). Another way to define readable is "fun and easy to read." Your favorite books, for example, might be fast-paced, readable mysteries.
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.
His trilogy on Europe’s long 19th century, published between 1962 and 1987, is highly readable if not entirely reliable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
But the destination is still readable, and an ISP will know you visited that website, whether or not it uses HTTPS.
From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2026
He said the region preserves a readable geologic record with strong age control for deposits ranging from about 2.3 to 2.95 million years ago.
From Science Daily ● May 16, 2026
The Berkshire proxy is readable and runs less than 20 pages and compares with the 100-plus page tomes that most big companies issue.
From Barron's ● Mar. 16, 2026
His one-volume history of the Army Air Force in World War Two was supposed to be a readable condensation of the twenty-seven-volume Official History of the Army Air Force in World War Two.
From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut
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.
