supportable

IPA/səˈpɔː.tə.bəl/
KK[səpˈɔrtəbəl]IPA/səˈpɔːr.t̬ə.bəl/

supportable — adjective

  • supportablepositive
  • more supportablecomparative
  • most supportablesuperlative

1. An argument, claim, or theory that is supportable rests on facts or logical reas

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

An argument, claim, or theory that is supportable rests on facts or logical reasoning strong enough to convince others it is correct.

Example

Rohan presented a supportable argument that the company should invest in solar energy.

supportable argument + that-clause

The scientist's claim was supportable because she had data from five years of field experiments.

Common collocations
  • supportable argument
  • supportable claim
  • supportable theory
  • supportable by evidence
  • barely supportable
Synonyms
  • defensible

    focuses on being able to argue against attacks, not just prove a point

  • tenable

    stronger implication that the position is logically sound enough to hold

  • justifiable

    more about moral or practical rightness than factual proof

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

supportable + abstract noun (claim, argument, theory)

be + supportable

Usage Note

Frequently appears in academic or legal writing. The noun modified is almost always abstract — you would not describe a physical object as supportable.

Common Mistakes

His parents were very supportable of his career choice.
His parents were very supportive of his career choice.
'supportable' describes ideas and claims, not people who give encouragement.
We need a supportable bridge for the new road.
We need a bridge that can carry heavy loads.
'supportable' is not used for physical weight-bearing objects.

2. When a bad or painful experience is supportable, the person going through it is

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

When a bad or painful experience is supportable, the person going through it is able to bear it without being completely overwhelmed.

Example

For Mira, the pain was supportable while she took medicine every four hours.

The afternoon heat in the desert became barely supportable after noon.

collocation: barely supportable

Common collocations
  • barely supportable
  • hardly supportable
  • no longer supportable
  • just about supportable
  • find something supportable
Synonyms
  • bearable

    more common in everyday speech; slightly weaker in intensity

  • endurable

    very close, but emphasises lasting through time rather than accepting the moment

  • tolerable

    suggests the experience is acceptable even if unpleasant; slightly less intense suffering

Antonyms
  • unbearable

    the most common opposite; too intense to stand

  • intolerable

    suggests a moral or principled refusal to accept

Grammar Patterns

be + supportable

become + supportable

find/feel + something + supportable

Usage Note

Typically used with negative or limiting adverbs (barely, hardly, no longer, just about) because the situation is already difficult. Without such adverbs, the sentence may sound oddly positive about a bad situation.

Common Mistakes

The five-minute wait for the bus was supportable.
The five-minute wait for the bus was bearable.
'supportable' implies real hardship, not minor inconvenience.
No longer supportable' is often confused with 'no longer sustainable.
The pain was no longer supportable' (it became unbearable) vs. 'The business was no longer sustainable' (it could not continue).

3. An activity, system, or rate of growth that is supportable can continue at its c

3.adjectiveC1
Definition

An activity, system, or rate of growth that is supportable can continue at its current pace or size without causing significant problems.

Example

Iker wondered whether the current rate of growth was supportable for the small business.

supportable rate of growth — business domain

The project is only supportable if we hire two more engineers by next month.

Common collocations
  • supportable rate of growth
  • supportable activity
  • supportable system
  • no longer supportable
  • supportable schedule
Synonyms
  • sustainable

    wider use; often implies renewal of resources, not just continuation

  • viable

    suggests a plan or system can succeed; slightly stronger

  • workable

    more practical and informal; focuses on whether something functions in reality

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

supportable + noun (growth, rate, activity)

be + supportable

become + supportable

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1 (PROVABLE WITH EVIDENCE): sense 1 is about logical truth, sense 3 is about practical continuation. Distinguish from sense 2 (BEARABLE TO ENDURE): sense 2 is about personal suffering, sense 3 is about systems and activities.

Common Mistakes

I felt supportable after the surgery.
I felt able to continue after the surgery.
sense 3 does not apply to a person's own physical state.
Supportable' and 'sustainable' are used interchangeably.
Sustainable' focuses on environmental/resource renewal; 'supportable' (sense 3) simply means manageable at the current level.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe an idea or position that is worth believing or keeping, but they differ in emphasis. 'Supportable' (the headword) focuses on having facts or reasoning that back a claim — it is the broadest term. 'Defensible' stresses the ability to protect an argument against attacks or criticism; a weak case can be defensible even if not proven. 'Tenable' is stronger: it means the position is logically sound enough to be held, and is common in academic writing ('a tenable hypothesis'). 'Justifiable' shifts from factual proof to moral or practical rightness — an action can be justifiable even if the evidence for it is thin. In everyday use, 'defensible' is the most common of the set; 'tenable' and 'supportable' are more formal. For example, a lawyer might say a claim is supportable by evidence, defensible under cross-examination, but only arguably tenable in court. A parent might tell a child that borrowing money without asking is not justifiable, even though their reason is defensible.

defensible ↗tenable ↗justifiable ↗supportable ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • find something supportable
  • no longer supportable

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Comes from Latin 'supportare' (sub- 'up from under' + portare 'to carry'), which passed through Old French 'supporter' into English as 'support' (meaning 'to bear or carry'). The adjective suffix '-able' ('capable of being') was added in English to form 'supportable', first recorded in the early 17th century with the concrete meaning 'capable of being physically held up', which later extended to the abstract senses we use today.