passable

adjective

pass·​able ˈpa-sə-bəl 

1

a

: capable of being passed, crossed, or traveled on

passable roads

b

: capable of being freely circulated

2

: good enough : adequate

passably

ˈpa-sə-blē 

adverb

Synonyms

• navigable
• negotiable

Examples of passable in a Sentence

The main road is passable but most others are still covered with snow.

The river is passable during the summer months.

He did a passable job with the assignment.

She plays passable golf but prefers tennis.

Recent Examples on the Web

That was all for Detmers, whose passable outing turned into a bad one just that quickly. —Jeff Fletcher, Orange County Register, 4 May 2024

Kilduff noted that the federal government held a public comment period on the dredging project when Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico as a Category 4 storm in 2017, leaving the island without power or passable roads. —Danica Coto, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

passable

adjective

pass·​able ˈpas-ə-bəl 

1

: capable of being passed, crossed, or traveled on

passable roads

2

: barely good enough : tolerable

a passable imitation

passably

-blē 

adverb