healable

healable — adjective

  • healablepositive
  • more healablecomparative
  • most healablesuperlative

1. able to get better and return to a healthy or whole state — used for physical in

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

able to get better and return to a healthy or whole state — used for physical injuries, emotional pain, or psychological damage that can mend with time and care

Example

Dr. Chen assured Amir that the burn was healable with proper care.

healable + with + [treatment method]

The veterinarian said the dog's leg fracture was entirely healable.

entirely healable — adverb intensifier

Common collocations
  • healable wound
  • healable injury
  • healable fracture
  • healable trauma
  • entirely healable
  • fully healable
  • healable with time
  • healable with care
Synonyms
  • curable

    more common; used almost exclusively for diseases and medical conditions

  • treatable

    implies medical help exists, but not necessarily a full recovery

  • reversible

    used when a condition can return completely to its original state

  • mendable

    more informal; often used for physical breaks or relationship rifts

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

healable + with + noun (time, care, treatment)

Usage Note

Less common than 'curable.' Typically used for injuries or emotional wounds that mend gradually over time, not for diseases treated with medication.

Common Mistakes

The infection is healable with antibiotics.
The infection is curable with antibiotics.
'Curable' is the standard word for diseases and infections; 'healable' suits wounds, injuries, and emotional pain.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Curable is the most common near-synonym but applies almost exclusively to diseases and medical conditions (a curable infection). Healable is broader, covering physical injuries, emotional wounds, and psychological trauma — contexts where recovery is gradual and holistic rather than quick and clinical. Treatable emphasizes that medical intervention exists, but does not guarantee full recovery (a treatable but not curable condition). Reversible implies a condition can return to its original state, often used in technical or medical contexts (reversible hearing loss). Mendable is the most informal, typically used for physical breaks, tears, or relationship rifts (a mendable friendship). Choose healable when you want to stress the natural, time-based process of becoming whole again.

curable ↗treatable ↗reversible ↗mendable

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • proved healable
  • is healable without

Prepositions

  • with (time, care, treatment)

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Formed from the verb heal (Old English hǣlan, 'to make whole or sound') plus the suffix -able (from Latin -ābilis via Old French, meaning 'capable of being'). The verb heal traces back to Proto-Germanic *hailijaną, derived from *hailaz ('whole, uninjured, of good omen'), which also gave rise to whole, hale, and health.