passably

[ pas-uh-blee, pah-suh- ]

adverb

1. fairly; moderately:

   a passably good novel.

passably

/ ˈpɑːsəblɪ /

adverb

1. fairly; somewhat
2. acceptably; well enough

   she sings passably

Word History and Origins

Origin of passably¹

First recorded in 1600–10; passable + -ly

Example Sentences

That, and mimicry: exceptional on Anderson’s part, less on that of Sewell, who has a raspier voice and a more passably serious manner than the prince displayed on TV.

From New York Times

He steals a bag of money from a couple of corrupt cops and is pursued by a robot police dog in a chase scene that’s brisk, legible and passably tense.

From New York Times

You don’t even need to take lessons to play it passably.

From New York Times

Rachvelishvili thought the first performance went passably, but the company’s administration disagreed.

From New York Times

For about three quarters of the year, I make do with merely passably flavorful frozen berries that I deploy to chuck into smoothies and brighten up my oatmeal.

From Salon

Related Words

• a bit
• a little
• comparatively
• fairly
• kind of
• pretty
• quite
• relatively
• slightly
• somewhat