teachable

American  

[tee-chuh-buhl] / ˈti tʃə bəl /

adjective

1. capable of being instructed, as a person; docile.

2. capable of being taught, as a subject.

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Other Word Forms

• nonteachability
  noun
• nonteachable
  adjective
• nonteachableness
  noun
• nonteachably
  adverb
• teachability
  noun
• teachableness
  noun
• teachably
  adverb
• unteachable
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of teachable

First recorded in 1475–85; teach + -able

Example Sentences

Still, this is a teachable moment — a warning for both of you to keep on top of your credit-card statements.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 20, 2026

That line stayed with me when I spoke to Gregory Rogers, a criminal-justice lecturer and former FBI agent who’s been trying to turn the assassination into a teachable moment.

From Slate • Oct. 30, 2025

I believe that these things are teachable mostly by example, and in great silences.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2025

Society may react to them negatively, but these are shown as fleeting interactions and/or the disabled people in question emphasize how they use these opportunities to create teachable moments.

From Salon • Apr. 1, 2025

When Sarah and Daniel and I run through our allowances and ask to borrow money from our folks, we get a huge lecture, and then they make it a teachable moment.

From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen