vincible

American  

[vin-suh-buhl] / ˈvɪn sə bəl /

adjective

1. capable of being conquered or overcome.

   vincible fears.

---

vincible British  

/ ˈvɪnsɪbəl /

adjective

1. rare capable of being defeated or overcome

---

Other Word Forms

• vincibility noun
• vincibleness noun

Etymology

Origin of vincible

1540–50; < Latin vincibilis, equivalent to vinc ( ere ) to overcome + -ibilis -ible

Explanation

Vincible describes something that is easily overcome, like a young and inexperienced army or a mild fear of heights. You're probably more familiar with the antonym of vincible, the adjective invincible, which means "unbeatable." Its opposite is much more rarely used, but it can be useful for talking about something — or someone — that can be defeated. The Latin root word of vincible, vincere, means "to conquer," and it's also the origin of the words victor and victorious.

Example Sentences

No team is invincible, as Hoffenheim’s upset helpfully demonstrated, but everyone else is a whole lot more vincible than Bayern is.

From Slate • Dec. 4, 2020

Proving he is vincible, Joyner was bucked on the left shin by a mean grounder last week, but X rays proved negative.

From Time Magazine Archive

See ART, Inspired Copyists. pHILOCTETES was an illustrious Greek warrior who received his in vincible weapons of war � bow and ar rows � from his dying friend Hercules.

From Time Magazine Archive

The disasters of war and its own in vincible stupidity finally brought down the czarist regime, to be replaced by a provisional government under the liberal-minded Prince Lvov, and then by Socialist Revolutionary Alexander Kerensky.

From Time Magazine Archive

He then discusses the bearing of ignorance and error, vincible and invincible, and specially the case wherein an erroneous conscience extenuates.

From Moral Science; a Compendium of Ethics by Bain, Alexander