Penetrable

//ˈpɛnətɹəbəl// adj

adj ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Capable of being penetrated, entered, or pierced.

    "On the east the high mountain-chain of Zagros, penetrable only in one or two places, forms a barrier of the most marked character, and is beyond a doubt the natural limit for which we are looking."

  2. 2
    Capable of being fully understood. figuratively

    "A Boer may know you, but it will take you some time to know him, and when a certain stage in your acquaintance is reached, you may begin to wonder whether his real nature is penetrable at all."

Adjective
  1. 1
    admitting of penetration or passage into or through wordnet
  2. 2
    capable of being penetrated wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
vulnerableaccessibleapprehensibleapproachablearticulateassailable

Example

More examples

"On the east the high mountain-chain of Zagros, penetrable only in one or two places, forms a barrier of the most marked character, and is beyond a doubt the natural limit for which we are looking."

Etymology

From Middle English penetrable, penytrable, from Old French penetrable, from Medieval Latin penetrābilis.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.