understandable

[ uhn-der-stan-duh-buhl ]

adjective

1. capable of being understood; understood; comprehensible.

Other Words From

• under·standa·bili·ty noun
• under·standa·bly adverb
• nonun·der·standa·ble adjective
• unun·der·standa·ble adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of understandable¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English: originally, “capable of understanding”; understand + -able

Example Sentences

Watching from a perch in the surveillance age, her reticence is understandable.

From Salon

In the quest for fragments of solace, it’s also perhaps understandable that when tales of bravery are found, they are celebrated unashamedly.

From BBC

There’s an understandable impulse behind the medical community’s push to test lots of people.

From Los Angeles Times

They are making a world so scary and degraded that it's perfectly understandable not to want to inflict it on a child.

From Salon

“Everyone’s a little bit high-strung, which is understandable,” said Sara Grimaldi, 22, who has been working on youth voter engagement for a feminist group throughout the campaign.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• acceptable
• coherent
• comprehensible
• intelligible
• justifiable
• logical
• reasonable
• recognizable
• simple