salvageable

American  

[sal-vij-uh-buhl] / ˈsæl vɪdʒ ə bəl /

adjective

1. able to be saved from ruin or failure; recoverable or redeemable.

   They're going to have to confront their hurt feelings and their long history, and figure out whether their relationship is salvageable.

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Other Word Forms

• nonsalvageable adjective
• salvageability noun
• unsalvageable adjective
• unsalvageably adverb

Etymology

Origin of salvageable

salvage ( def. ) + -able ( def. )

Explanation

Something that's salvageable can be saved or fixed. You'll be dismayed if you drop your cell phone and the screen cracks, but you'll feel better when you realize it's salvageable. To salvage something is to save, preserve, or rescue it, and if you can successfully do this, you can say it's salvageable. A terrible accident might total your car, making it impossible to fix, but after a small fender bender your car will probably be salvageable. If you gossip about your best friend and he hears about it, you'll hope your friendship is salvageable. The root of salvageable is the Old French salver, "to save."

Example Sentences

But the return has revealed the storm’s full impact: homes pushed off foundations, streets still partially submerged, and families sifting through mud-soaked belongings in search of anything salvageable.

From Salon • Mar. 22, 2026

They loaded salvageable sofas and home appliances onto decrepit blue pickup trucks in the unmistakable 1960s design of local brand Zamyad.

From Barron's • Mar. 7, 2026

Some of those figures, such as information on job creation and on wholesale prices, could be salvageable because companies provide a portion of it directly to the BLS.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 12, 2025

And the excavator operator took the time to sift through the rubble with the two in search for anything salvageable.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 22, 2025

His office looked like someone had detonated a bomb and unleashed a pack of wild wolves to pick over the salvageable remains.

From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken