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.
But this particular station was entirely understandable, and completely normal.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
All tournament, Spain has flown under the radar compared to the other contenders, and it’s understandable why.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
"These labels will provide an immediately understandable and easily scalable approach to transparency."
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
Add the impact of no more transfer restrictions and it’s understandable there’s uncertainty.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
Amid so much turmoil it was understandable that the work of a young and handsome doctor would go unnoticed.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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.
