adj, noun ·4 syllables ·Uncommon ·College level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   That which perishes or is short-lived.
2. 2
   food that will decay rapidly if not refrigerated wordnet
3. 3
   Food that does not keep for long. in-plural

Adjective

1. 1
   Liable to perish, especially naturally subject to quick decomposition or decay.

   "perishable goods"

Adjective

1. 1
   liable to perish; subject to destruction or death or decay wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

ephemeralbiodegradablebrittlecapriciouschangeablecorruptible

Antonyms

All antonyms

durableeternalevanescentimperishable

Example

More examples

"Please don't order anything perishable."

Etymology

From Middle English *persishable, perysabyl, equivalent to perish + -able. Compare Old French perissable (and modern French périssable).

Related phrases

short lived

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