understandable
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of understandable
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English: originally, “capable of understanding”; understand + -able
Explanation
Something understandable can be understood or grasped. It makes sense. Since understanding something means you comprehend or get it, when things are understandable, they can be perceived or fathomed. If a friend cancels plans to see a movie because he's sick, that's understandable. Leaving one job for a better paying job is understandable. Eating a lot of cake on your birthday is understandable. Understandable things are easy to grasp and no one is likely to doubt or question them. The opposite of understandable would be weird, odd, or inexplicable.
Vocabulary lists containing understandable
-able, -ible
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-able, -ible
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-able, -ible
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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.
The spokesperson said it’s understandable for reporters to ask questions about the conflicts, “but out of fairness, it should be juxtaposed by the fact that there’s been no indication of favorable treatment.”
From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026
The interest in private markets—especially high-profile companies like SpaceX or Anthropic—is understandable, said Tom Geoghegan, the founder of Beacon Hill Private Wealth in Summit, N.J.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026
While that is understandable, it’s also unfair to GE’s prospects as a business.
From Barron's • May 7, 2026
He continued: "Reports are made but victims are just not prepared to stay with the process for reasons that are entirely understandable, including the delays that they experience in the justice system."
From BBC • May 5, 2026
They were given the new job, as custodians of our peace of mind, the focus of our understandable and rightful dread of being inferior; official censors, judges, and executors.
From "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury
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.
