salvageable
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of salvageable
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."
Vocabulary lists containing salvageable
Power Suffix: -able
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!
The Maze Runner
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!
Red Kayak
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.
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
A whistleblower has told Panorama there was a "pattern" of "pigeonholing" small businesses as "distressed" when they were "salvageable".
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2025
And as she joined in carrying out the few salvageable chairs, it was the hole she thought about: how hot carnivorous metal could draw such pretty ringlets in the soil.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
