survivable

[ ser-vahy-vuh-buhl ]

adjective

1. able to be survived:

   Would an atomic war be survivable?

2. capable of withstanding attack or countermeasures:

   a bomber survivable against fighter planes.

Other Words From

• sur·viva·bili·ty noun
• nonsur·viva·ble adjective
• unsur·viva·ble adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of survivable¹

First recorded in 1950–55; survive + -able

Example Sentences

Dry conifer forests that had already teetered on the edge of survivable conditions were far more likely to simply convert to grass and shrublands, which generally absorb and store much less carbon.

From MIT Technology Review

“We really need to be intervening with buildings and neighborhoods to make them more survivable,” Rempel said.

From Washington Post

Modern medicine has brought chest pain from heart attacks from routinely fatal to often survivable and even preventable.

From Time

These lower-end tornadoes are capable of significant property and tree damage, but tend to be easily survivable if protected from trees.

From Washington Post

This period of time involves “cutting, breaching, crawling into the voids, looking for people in a survivable void space,” he says.

From Popular-Science

That can be survivable if a president acknowledges failures and takes steps to correct.

From The Daily Beast

As for the day-to-day life of the horses, pro-ban veterinarians such as Holly Cheever describe it as “survivable, but not humane.”

From The Daily Beast

The idea that the scandal itself is not survivable is nonsense.

From The Daily Beast

Federal teams with survivable radio gear were positioned at the likely point of impact.

From The Daily Beast

Alternatively, reusable long-range survivable systems provide needed flexibility to alter the Deep Strike plan as it unfolds.

From Project Gutenberg