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.
Nonetheless Yale University Press has given the British historian Alec Ryrie a wide berth to write “The World’s Reformation,” a highly readable, sweeping and intrigue-filled story of Protestant missions among non-Europeans between 1560 and 1800.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 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
Inside the Palisades local’s political pivot and his compulsively readable new memoir.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026
"We have created a tiny, but stable and repeatedly readable QR code."
From Science Daily ● Mar. 29, 2026
The biggest and most difficult task he had with the book was to make it short enough to be readable.
From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman
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.
