maintainable

maintainable — adjective

  • maintainablepositive
  • more maintainablecomparative
  • most maintainablesuperlative

1. describes equipment, software, or a building that can be kept in good working or

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes equipment, software, or a building that can be kept in good working order without too much time or effort — for example, a car whose parts are easy to reach and replace.

Example

The old wooden bridge was still maintainable because the town replaced damaged boards each year.

be maintainable because [reason] — cause-and-effect pattern

Amir found that the apartment was clean and maintainable, needing only a quick weekly sweep.

Common collocations
  • easily maintainable
  • highly maintainable
  • designed to be maintainable
  • keep something maintainable
Synonyms
  • serviceable

    focuses on being in usable condition right now, not on ease of future upkeep

  • sustainable

    broader — refers to maintaining something over the long term, including resources and environmental impact

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

be maintainable

be maintainable by [agent]

be maintainable for [duration]

Usage Note

Frequently used in technical contexts (engineering, software development, facilities management) to describe how easily something can be kept functional. The opposite sense appears as 'unmaintainable'.

Common Mistakes

This old car is very maintainable.' (when meaning it IS currently being maintained).
This old car is carefully maintained.
'maintainable' describes potential and capability, not the current state of care.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Maintainable is the broadest of these terms, referring to anything that can be kept in good working order — from buildings and machines to software and relationships. Serviceable is narrower, meaning something is currently in usable condition but may look worn or lack modern features (a serviceable roof keeps rain out but may need replacing soon). Sustainable focuses on long-term viability, often involving resources, costs, or environmental impact (a sustainable farming method, not just a maintainable one). Repairable is the most specific, describing something that can be fixed after damage — a maintainable system may rarely need repairs at all. For example, a bicycle with simple parts is maintainable by any rider; if a tyre goes flat it is repairable; if the frame rusts through it may cease to be serviceable.

maintainable ↗serviceablesustainable ↗repairable

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • designed to be maintainable
  • keep something maintainable

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Formed from the verb 'maintain' (which came into English from Old French 'maintenir', ultimately from Latin 'manu tenere' — literally 'to hold in the hand') combined with the suffix '-able', meaning 'capable of being'. The word has been in English use since the early 1800s, appearing mostly in technical and engineering writing before spreading to computing and everyday usage.