Understandable
adj ·5 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Capable of being understood; comprehensible.
- 2 Capable of being accepted or excused under the circumstances.
"The original branch was 5¾ miles long, from Llantrisant to Cowbridge only, but in 1889, the T.V.R. [Taff Vale Railway] obtained powers […] to continue the line for 6½ miles south to the coast at Aberthaw, ostensibly for the purpose of serving the important limestone works there, but one suspects other motives, including an understandable desire on the part of the T.V.R. to put a spoke in the wheel of the oncoming Barry Railway !"
- 1 capable of being apprehended or understood wordnet
Example
More examples"The fact that educated Americans in general no longer share understandable background knowledge is a chief cause of their inability to communicate effectively."
Etymology
From Middle English understondable, equivalent to understand + -able.
More for "understandable"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.