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passable

American  
[pas-uh-buhl, pah-suh-] / ˈpæs ə bəl, ˈpɑ sə- /

adjective

  1. capable of being passed passed through, beyond, or over; fit to be traversed, penetrated, crossed, etc., as a road, forest, or stream.

  2. adequate; acceptable.

    a passable knowledge of French.
    Synonyms:
    fair, tolerable, allowable, respectable, presentable

  3. capable of being circulated legally or having a valid currency, as a coin.

  4. capable of being or liable to be ratified or enacted.

    passable legislation.
passable British  
/ ˈpɑːsəbəl /

adjective

  1. adequate, fair, or acceptable

    a passable speech

  2. (of an obstacle) capable of being passed or crossed

  3. (of currency) valid for general circulation

  4. (of a proposed law) able to be ratified or enacted

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • passableness noun
  • unpassable adjective

Etymology

Origin of passable

1375–1425; late Middle English < Middle French; pass, -able

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.