printable

/ˈprɪntəbl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈprɪntəbl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈprin-tə-bəl/ (ame, mw) · /ˈprɪn.tə.bəl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈprɪn.t̬ə.bəl/ (ame, ipa)

printable — adjective

  • printablepositive
  • more printablecomparative
  • most printablesuperlative

1. describes spoken words or remarks that are too rude or shocking for any newspape

1.形容詞B2
釋義

describes spoken words or remarks that are too rude or shocking for any newspaper or magazine to print — almost always used in the negative form 'not printable'.

例句

The politician's remarks were so crude that they were not printable in any major newspaper.

negative construction: be not printable

When the referee made that call, the fans shouted things that were definitely not printable.

同義詞
  • unprintable

    stronger and exclusively negative; implies the content is so offensive it cannot be printed under any circumstances

  • obscene

    narrower in scope, focusing on sexual offensiveness specifically

  • unfit to publish

    a more formal and explicit alternative to 'not printable'

反義詞
  • printable

    the positive form, used in the literal sense of 'suitable for publication' but very rare

  • decent

    describes language fit for public consumption, opposite of offensive

文法句型

be not printable

用法筆記

In this sense, the affirmative form 'printable' is extremely rare and may sound unnatural to native speakers. Always use 'not printable' or 'hardly printable' to express that something is too offensive to publish.

常見錯誤

❌His joke was printable.
✅His joke was not printable.
💡This sense almost always requires a negative form to mean 'too offensive to publish'; using the positive form without context sounds odd.

2. describes a file, document, page, or format that a user can send to a printer fr

2.形容詞B1
釋義

describes a file, document, page, or format that a user can send to a printer from a computer, website, email, or other digital source.

例句

This website offers a printable version of every recipe, so you can take it into the kitchen.

attributive: printable version

The email attachment is a printable PDF that includes all the travel documents for the trip.

同義詞
  • hard-copy ready

    informal, less common; implies the document is formatted for paper output

  • printer-friendly

    specifically describes a web page or document formatted to print well on paper

反義詞
  • unprintable

    in the computing sense, describes a file that cannot be printed due to corruption or format issues

  • digital-only

    describes content intended only for on-screen viewing with no print option

文法句型

printable + noun

be printable

用法筆記

Commonly used attributively before a noun (e.g. 'printable version', 'printable document'). Also frequent in computing and web contexts, especially with PDF and other standard formats.

printable — noun