adaptable
Americanadjective
-
capable of being adapted.
-
able to adjust oneself readily to different conditions.
an adaptable person.
Other Word Forms
- adaptability noun
- adaptableness noun
- nonadaptable adjective
- readaptable adjective
- superadaptable adjective
- superadaptably adverb
- unadaptable adjective
Etymology
Origin of adaptable
Explanation
Something that is adaptable can change to fit its environment, whether that environment is natural or social. The level to which a species is adaptable to changing surroundings is an important factor in the study of evolution. Let’s look at the Latin word adaptāre, from the root aptus "fitted." The ad- means "to, while the aptare means "join." Since 15th-century medieval French, the word adapt has come to mean "to fit in or adjust." So something adaptable is something that "fits in or adjusts." An example of an adaptable creature is the arctic fox, whose fur changes from dirt-dark in summer to snow-white in winter, to better blend in with its surroundings.
Vocabulary lists containing adaptable
Power Suffix: -able
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Positive Adjectives to Describe People
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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.
Years of absorbing shocks have left companies leaner and more adaptable, like an athlete in peak training rather than one running on fumes, said Sheets.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026
"But it is interesting to note that the more adaptable pinks have proven less popular than we might have assumed, and green and red varieties negligible, highlighting the importance in maintaining cultivated diversity in gardens."
From BBC • Mar. 5, 2026
The work, reported in the Cell Press journal Chem, describes a straightforward and reversible technique for building crystals that could support the creation of a new class of responsive, adaptable materials.
From Science Daily • Mar. 2, 2026
Bacteria are remarkably adaptable, thriving in some of the harshest places on Earth, from boiling hot springs to deep freezes far below zero.
From Science Daily • Feb. 21, 2026
Any candid observer of American racial history must acknowledge that racism is highly adaptable.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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.
