adjective
Other Word Forms
-
reusabilitynoun
-
reusablenessnoun
-
reuseabilitynoun
-
reuseablenessnoun
-
unusablenessnoun
-
unuseablenessnoun
-
usabilitynoun
-
usablenessnoun
-
useabilitynoun
-
useablenessnoun
-
nonreusableadjective
-
nonreuseableadjective
-
nonusableadjective
-
nonuseableadjective
-
reusableadjective
-
reuseableadjective
-
unusableadjective
-
unuseableadjective
-
unusablyadverb
-
unuseablyadverb
-
usablyadverb
-
useablyadverb
Etymology
Origin of usable
Explanation
Something that's usable can be successfully used right away for its intended purpose. If your car is usable, it's running just fine. A usable tent has all of its poles and is more or less waterproof, and a usable pair of shoes fits well and doesn't have holes. Describing something as usable can sometimes be faint praise: "Well, this basketball is usable, but just barely." When information is described as usable, it usually means it's actively available, and not just stored in a computer, for example. This is a relatively new adjective, first appearing around 1840.
Vocabulary lists containing usable
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.
Refining partners such as Italpreziosi in Tuscany process raw gold, scrapped jewelry or old electronics into usable metal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
The people tasked with the job of finding a usable vein and securing an IV are not phlebotomists with specialized training or nurses.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
"Even a modest increase in forecast confidence a day earlier can provide more usable preparation time for communities in a storm's path," Fischer said.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
“Expertly designed retaining walls expand the usable hillside pad, showcasing an understanding of form and function that mirrors the property’s disciplined calm.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
One trouble with this view is that it attributes to biology and medicine a much greater store of usable information, with coherence and connectedness, than actually exists.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
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.
