speakable
speakable — adjective
- speakablepositive
- more speakablecomparative
- most speakablesuperlative
1. able to be put into words and spoken aloud — used especially for emotions, opini
able to be put into words and spoken aloud — used especially for emotions, opinions, or topics that may or may not be considered acceptable to talk about; for example, a taboo subject that becomes speakable over time, or a feeling you can finally express.
The therapist told Beatrix that all her fears were speakable in their sessions.
be + speakable + in [location]
Some topics that were once taboo are now perfectly speakable in many workplaces.
Ishaan found the grief too deep to be easily speakable, so he wrote it down.
In the privacy of the support group, every painful memory became speakable.
- expressible
broader — covers communication through writing, art, or gesture, not just speech
- utterable
focuses on being pronounceable as sounds; less common for abstract emotions
- articulable
more formal; suggests a clear, organized expression of ideas
- unspeakable
too shocking or terrible to be expressed in words
- ineffable
too profound or sacred to be captured by language; more literary
文法句型
be + speakable
become + speakable
no longer + speakable
用法筆記
Most common in negative or contrastive contexts (e.g. 'hardly speakable,' 'no longer speakable,' 'barely speakable'), or when describing how social norms shift so that a taboo topic becomes acceptable to discuss openly.
常見錯誤
2. having the physical ability to produce speech — used chiefly in medical, literar
having the physical ability to produce speech — used chiefly in medical, literary, or figurative contexts about a person, animal, or creature that can or cannot make spoken sounds.
After the breathing tube was removed, Mira was finally speakable again.
be + speakable + again (recovery context)
In the old fable, every animal was speakable and could argue before the lion king.
The patient remained barely speakable for days after the stroke.
With daily speech therapy, Keiko slowly became speakable again after the accident.
- vocal
broader — can describe any sound production, not just speech
- articulate
implies clear, well-formed speech; more common for expressing ideas well
- mute
unable to speak; more common and direct than an antonym of 'speakable'
- speechless
temporarily unable to speak due to emotion, not a permanent condition
文法句型
be + speakable
become + speakable + again
用法筆記
Very rare in modern everyday English; almost always replaced by 'able to speak' or 'could speak.' Used chiefly in literary, medical, or fantasy contexts to describe the sudden or surprising acquisition of speech.