passable

adjective

pass·​able ˈpa-sə-bəl 

1

a

: capable of being passed, crossed, or traveled on

passable roads

b

: capable of being freely circulated

2

: good enough : adequate

passably

ˈpa-sə-blē 

adverb

Synonyms

• navigable
• negotiable

Examples of passable in a Sentence

The main road is passable but most others are still covered with snow.

The river is passable during the summer months.

He did a passable job with the assignment.

She plays passable golf but prefers tennis.

Recent Examples on the Web

The relatively large, cheap-feeling, white and blue plastic routers are passable, but what possessed them to put an X on top to house the LED? —Simon Hill, WIRED, 24 Aug. 2024

Could a score be realized by AI that was passable right now? —Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 24 Oct. 2024

School bus transportation routes will have to be modified for areas of the city that still aren’t passable. —Kathy Park, NBC News, 16 Oct. 2024

There, a white board is updated daily to share which highways and major roads are passable, that school is canceled all week, and the phone number to report missing persons. —Jessica Wakeman, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

passable

adjective

pass·​able ˈpas-ə-bəl 

1

: capable of being passed, crossed, or traveled on

passable roads

2

: barely good enough : tolerable

a passable imitation

passably

-blē 

adverb