definable

IPA/dɪˈfaɪnəbl/
KK[dɪfˈaɪnəbəl]IPA/dɪˈfaɪnəbl/

definable — adjective

  • definablepositive
  • more definablecomparative
  • most definablesuperlative

1. A definable thing, concept, or situation has clear enough features or limits for

1.形容詞B2
釋義

A definable thing, concept, or situation has clear enough features or limits for people to describe or explain it.

例句

The therapist helped Arjun set definable goals for his weekly counselling sessions.

collocation: definable goals

A clearly definable career path helped the engineers understand their promotion opportunities.

同義詞
  • determinable

    More technical; suggests something can be established through investigation rather than description

  • identifiable

    Broader; means can be recognized without necessarily describing the full scope

  • explicable

    Focuses on being logically explainable, often used for unexpected situations

反義詞
  • indefinable

    The direct opposite; cannot be described or bounded

  • vague

    Lacks clear boundaries or specific meaning

文法句型

adverb + definable

definable + noun

用法筆記

Often used with an adverb before it (clearly definable, easily definable) to indicate how well the limits or nature of something can be described.

常見錯誤

❌The problem is definable by its cause' (wrong preposition).
✅The problem is definable in terms of its cause.
💡The preposition 'by' after 'definable' is rare; 'in terms of' or 'as' are preferred.

2. A definable word or expression has a meaning that people can state or explain, f

2.形容詞B2
釋義

A definable word or expression has a meaning that people can state or explain, for example in a dictionary.

例句

Not every emotional word like 'grief' is easily definable without referring to personal experience.

adverb: easily definable

The children's dictionary lists definable terms with simple explanations that are easy to understand.

同義詞
  • explicable

    Broader than this sense; refers to anything that can be logically explained, not only words

  • glossable

    Rare but specific; refers to providing a gloss or short definition

反義詞
  • indefinable

    The direct opposite; cannot be accurately defined

  • ambiguous

    Has more than one possible meaning, making a single definition difficult

文法句型

definable + noun (term / word / phrase)

用法筆記

This sense is restricted to words, phrases, and terms. For objects, situations, or abstract concepts, use sense 1 (EXPLAINABLE) instead.

常見錯誤

❌The definable car was parked outside' (wrong sense — cars are not 'definable').
✅The term "biodiversity" is a definable concept in ecology.
💡Use this sense only for words, expressions, and named concepts, not for physical objects.