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.
It was a reclamation of beauty standards, in which icons like the Brat singer Teresa Covarrubias adopted the visual markers of shadow and decay, refusing to render themselves more easily readable or palatable.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
One thing making chains of thought less helpful is that the underlying thought tokens they are based on, what engineers call a “reasoning trace,” are themselves becoming less readable by humans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
The newly readable text proved to be an Epicurean philosophical work dealing with perception and pleasure.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 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
The map was safely stowed in his pocket, wet and bedraggled but still readable.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
