affordable
Americanadjective
noun
Usage
What does affordable mean? If something is affordable, it means its price is low enough that you (or most people) have enough money to buy it. Affordable is the adjective form of the verb afford. If you can afford something, you have enough money to pay for it. Much less commonly, affordable can be used as a noun meaning an item that one can afford. Example: Rachel wants to buy a luxury car, but with her budget I think she should consider a more affordable option.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of affordable
Explanation
If something is affordable, it's priced reasonably, and you have enough money to buy it. Your friends might be jealous that the bike you bought at a yard sale was so affordable. If you live in an affordable city, it means that rents aren't too high for most of its residents, and if you buy an affordable dinner for yourself, it doesn't cost too much. The adjective affordable can either mean "cheap," or it can imply that even if it's expensive, you have enough money to easily buy it. The verb afford is at the root, and its earliest meaning was "accomplish." Gradually, afford came to have the meaning "manage to buy."
Vocabulary lists containing affordable
Michelle Obama's final address as First Lady (2017)
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History is made in PA: Clinton's DNC Acceptance Speech
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for May 7–May 13, 2022
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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.
"These are simple, affordable products that keep a household connected and informed when the power goes out, and it's encouraging to see people taking the advice seriously."
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
Mamdani campaigned on making the city more affordable and since has introduced a plan to build 200,000 new housing units over the next decade, which might help ameliorate the homelessness problem longer term.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
Any potential screening test would need to be accurate, affordable, reproducible, and ultimately shown to improve patient outcomes.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
It also advises contacting your energy supplier, which may be able to agree an affordable repayment plan or discuss support schemes.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
Air travel was as common and affordable to us as train travel was to them.
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
