restorable

IPA/rɪˈstɔː.rə.bəl/
IPA/rɪˈstɔːr.ə.bəl/

restorable — adjective

  • restorablepositive
  • more restorablecomparative
  • most restorablesuperlative

1. able to be brought back to a good or working state after being damaged, lost, or

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

able to be brought back to a good or working state after being damaged, lost, or allowed to decay

Example

The old farmhouse looked ruined, but the surveyor said the walls were still restorable.

predicative: be + restorable after a damaged-object subject

Imani backed up her files nightly, so the lost report was easily restorable.

collocation: easily restorable for recovered data

Common collocations
  • easily restorable
  • fully restorable
  • still restorable
  • restorable condition
Synonyms
  • repairable

    narrower — physical objects only, not lost data or land

  • salvageable

    implies rescuing something partly from loss or wreckage

  • recoverable

    common for data or money that can be got back

Antonyms

Usage Note

Subject is usually a damaged or lost thing — a building, artwork, file, or natural area — not a person. Frequently appears after 'be' and paired with 'fully', 'easily', or 'still'.

Common Mistakes

The patient was restorable after the surgery.
The patient recovered well after the surgery.
'restorable' describes objects or data that can be fixed, not people regaining health.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four describe something that can be brought back, but they differ in scope and tone. 'Restorable' is the broadest and slightly formal: it covers buildings, artwork, files, and even land or ecosystems, and stresses returning to an earlier good state. 'Repairable' is narrower and more practical — it suits physical objects with a specific fault, like a washing machine or a torn jacket, not lost data or a damaged landscape. 'Salvageable' carries a sense of rescue from near-total loss, often after a disaster: a salvageable cargo, a salvageable plan. 'Recoverable' is the usual word for data, money, or health that can be got back. You would call a fire-damaged manor restorable, a leaking pipe repairable, the wreck's engine salvageable, and deleted photos recoverable.

restorable ↗repairablesalvageablerecoverable

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • restorable to its original condition

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Formed in English from the verb 'restore' plus the suffix '-able', meaning 'able to be'. 'Restore' came through Old French 'restorer' from Latin 'restaurare', 'to rebuild or renew', built on 'staurare', linked to ideas of setting up firmly. So 'restorable' literally means 'able to be set up again'.

First known use

1611

1611, in the meaning defined above