alterable

American  

[awl-ter-uh-buhl] / ˈɔl tər ə bəl /

adjective

1. capable of being altered.

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Other Word Forms

• alterability noun
• alterableness noun
• alterably adverb
• realterable adjective
• realterableness noun
• realterably adverb

Etymology

Origin of alterable

First recorded in 1520–30; alter + -able

Explanation

Alterable things can be updated, enhanced, or fixed, but do not change into something else. Pants that are four inches too long are alterable, and you can hem them to the proper length. Though alter and change might seem the same, there is a subtle difference. When we alter something we change only part of it. For instance, we humans are alterable because we can cut our hair or paint our nails or pierce our ears. Our clothing is alterable because we can change the way it fits or dye it a different color. If you're turning pants into socks and princes into frogs, you're not altering them. You've discovered magic.

Example Sentences

Certain alterable features of his appearance make him look insincere, untrustworthy and unlikable: He bares his lower teeth when he speaks and rarely smiles, which makes him look threatening.

From Salon • Jul. 24, 2023

But he also said that what was not alterable was “our values,” suggesting that rules such as the one mandating the hijab would not be changed.

From New York Times • Sep. 30, 2022

They need to be easily alterable by the show’s wardrobe department, and to stay fresh without daily dry cleaning.

From New York Times • Sep. 7, 2021

What you’re doing right now—asking yourself questions, exploring different names and pronouns with a few close friends, and contemplating accessing services from a gender clinic in the future—is all exploratory, open, and completely alterable.

From Slate • Mar. 20, 2018

The cyclical movement of history was now intelligible, or appeared to be so; and if it was intelligible, then it was alterable.

From "1984" by George Orwell