passable Hear it!

passable Definition

pass·able (pas′ ə bəl)

adjective

  1. that can be passed, traveled over, or crossed
  2. that can be circulated; genuine, as coin
  3. barely satisfactory for the purpose; adequate; fair
  4. that can be enacted, as a proposed law

Etymology: ME < MFr < passer, pass

passable Related Forms

pass′·able·ness noun

passable Synonyms

passable

modif.

  1. Capable of being crossed or traveled

    open, fair, penetrable, navigable, traversable, beaten, accessible, traveled, easy, broad, graded, travelable; see also available.

    Antonyms impassable*, impossible*, inaccessible. *

  2. Admissible

    adequate, all right, mediocre, tolerable; see common 1, fair 2.

passable Usage Examples

Preposition: on

foot: The towpath is a little uneven in places but is quite passable on foot.

Preposition: at

tide: The action takes place around the causeway linking an island to the mainland, which is only passable at low tide.

Adjective complement with noun phrase

make: This is a temporary measure, required to make the road safely passable in advance of permanent repairs.

Modifies a noun

  • impersonation: Who else saw Ronaldo doing a passable impersonation of a pub footballer the other night?
  • imitation: It can be a bit like early flicks with people doing a passable imitation of Charlie Chaplin.
  • impression: I was left with a passable impression of a traditional low, wide hedge.
  • attempt: But the players made light of this hurdle with a more than passable attempt at ' talking the blather ' .
  • road: Continue south from Negele to the Sidamo Lark site, which is a very passable gravel road.
  • version: The company has just brought out a passable version of Moon Cresta.

Modifying Another Word

  • barely: Article continues It starts as a paved road, but quickly becomes a stone and gravel track barely passable in a four-wheel drive vehicle.
  • easily: Make sure that the towpath is easily passable by keeping your fishing tackle tidy.
  • quite: The towpath is a little uneven in places but is quite passable on foot.
  • just: The footpath along the trackbed was only just passable.
  • still: We had to abandon our vehicles and carry our bags to the other end of the fast disappearing road whilst it was still passable.

Used with adjective complement

  • become: In these situations there is little choice but to wait until the roads become passable.
  • look: A: Telling big hairy trannies they look quite passable.
  • speak: The flocks - " Switters, who spoke passable Arabic, interrupted to explain that he meant to go alone.

Preposition: with

care: The beach end of the trail is still wet, but is passable with care.

Preposition: by

vehicle: Until Sunday 21st September the bridge will be passable by all road vehicles controlled by traffic lights.