serviceable

[sur-vuh-suh-buhl]

adjective

1. capable of or being of service; useful.

   Synonyms: functional, usable, effective

2. wearing well; durable.

   serviceable cloth.

3. capable of being used, worn, cleaned, repaired, etc., easily.

serviceable

/ ˈsɜːvɪsəbəl /

adjective

1. capable of or ready for service; usable

2. capable of giving good service; durable

3. archaic,  diligent in service

Other Word Forms

• serviceability noun
• serviceableness noun
• serviceably adverb
• nonserviceability noun
• nonserviceable adjective
• nonserviceableness noun
• nonserviceably adverb
• unserviceable adjective
• unserviceableness noun
• unserviceably adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of serviceable¹

1300–50; service ¹ + -able; replacing Middle English servisable < Middle French

Example Sentences

None of this is to suggest that this six-part “Maigret” is anything less than a perfectly serviceable Sunday-night crime series, even a worthy entry among presentations of the venerable “Masterpiece Mystery!”

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Johansson’s direction is serviceable if unremarkable, and one has to wonder why this particular script spoke to her.

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The goal of Nisha Ganatra’s serviceable sequel is to get audiences who love those characters to buy a ticket and hang out with them again.

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I’m noncommittal myself on whether Lerman delivers a serviceable performance or a strong one.

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Gould does a serviceable job of telling the Heads’ story in a book that arrives 50 years after the band’s first gig at CBGB.

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Related Words

• dependable 
• usable