locatable

locatable — adjective

  • locatablepositive
  • more locatablecomparative
  • most locatablesuperlative

1. describes a person or thing whose position can be discovered, often by searching

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes a person or thing whose position can be discovered, often by searching or with the help of a device

Example

The missing cat was <hl>locatable</hl> because of the tracking collar around its neck.

collocation: tracking collar makes [sb/sth] locatable

Theo checked that the campsite was <hl>locatable</hl> on the map before setting off.

Common collocations
  • easily locatable
  • readily locatable
  • still locatable
  • no longer locatable
  • made locatable by
Synonyms
  • traceable

    implies following evidence or a trail back to a source, rather than simply being findable

  • findable

    an informal alternative; locatable is preferred in more technical or formal writing

  • trackable

    suggests ongoing monitoring of movement, not just a one-time discovery of position

  • detectable

    focuses on being noticed or perceived by instruments or senses, not necessarily by deliberate search

Antonyms
  • untraceable

    impossible to trace or find even with effort

  • hidden

    deliberately kept out of sight and hard to find

Usage Note

Common in mapping, tracking, and search-and-rescue contexts. Often used with adverbs like 'easily,' 'readily,' 'still,' or 'no longer.'

Common Mistakes

The wallet is locate on the table.
The wallet is locatable from this side of the room.
'Locate' is a verb; use the adjective 'locatable' to describe something that can be found.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

'Locatable' is the neutral, everyday adjective for something whose position can be discovered. 'Traceable' carries a stronger sense of following clues or evidence back to a source — a phone call is traceable, but you would not say a campsite is traceable. 'Findable' is informal and works in casual speech ('the keys are findable'), but 'locatable' is preferred in technical writing, mapping, and search operations. 'Trackable' describes something whose movements can be followed over time (a package, a migrating animal), rather than a one-time discovery of position. 'Detectable' focuses on being noticed by instruments or senses — a gas leak is detectable by smell, but not necessarily locatable without further searching. Example: a lost wallet under the couch is findable and locatable; a faint radio signal from a satellite is detectable and, with triangulation, locatable.

traceable ↗findable ↗trackable ↗detectable ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • made locatable by
  • remain locatable

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Formed in English from the verb 'locate' plus the suffix '-able' (meaning 'capable of'). 'Locate' entered English in the 17th century from Latin 'locare' ('to place, put in a position'), which itself comes from 'locus' ('place'). The adjective 'locatable' developed naturally as the language needed a word for things that could be found or positioned.