durable

1 of 2

adjective

du·​ra·​ble ˈdu̇r-ə-bəl 

also ˈdyu̇r-

: able to exist for a long time without significant deterioration in quality or value

a durable suitcase

also : designed to be durable

durable goods

durability

ˌdu̇r-ə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

ˌdyu̇r-

noun

durableness

ˈdu̇r-ə-bəl-nəs 

ˈdyu̇r-

noun

durably

ˈdu̇r-ə-blē 

ˈdyu̇r-

adverb

durableness

2 of 2

noun

du·​ra·​ble·​ness

plural -es

: the quality or state of being durable : durability

Did you know?

Something durable lasts a long time, so it's apt that durable comes to us (via Anglo-French) from the Latin verb durare, meaning "to last." Other descendants of durare in English include during, endure, and duration, all of which concern things lasting in one way or another. Durable even has a near synonym in the much rarer perdurable, which combines durare with the prefix per- (meaning "throughout") to create a word that can mean "lasting a very long time or indefinitely" or "eternal."

Choose the Right Synonym for durable

lasting, permanent, durable, stable mean enduring for so long as to seem fixed or established.

lasting implies a capacity to continue indefinitely.

a book that left a lasting impression on me

permanent adds usually the implication of being designed or planned to stand or continue indefinitely.

permanent living arrangements

durable implies power to resist destructive agencies.

durable fabrics

stable implies lastingness because of resistance to being overturned or displaced.

a stable government

Examples of durable in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The durable fix is to stop treating a voice as evidence at all. — Sebastian Dobrincu, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

In a new interview with Fortune, Bezos revealed that Amazon’s custom chip business is on track to become one of its most durable businesses. — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 29 July 2026

Google DeepMind scientist Pushmeet Kohli explained to Ars that the team put a great deal of work into ensuring SynthID was a durable way to label AI content. — ArsTechnica, 29 July 2026

The next challenge will be turning a successful laboratory prototype into something durable, comfortable and dependable enough for daily use. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 28 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin durabilis, from durare to last — more at during

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing durable

• durable press

Rhymes for durable

• curable
• endurable
• incurable
• insurable
• nondurable
• procurable
• unendurable

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Kids Definition

durable

adjective

du·​ra·​ble ˈd(y)u̇r-ə-bəl 

: able to last a long time

durable clothing

durable goods

durability

ˌd(y)u̇r-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

durably

ˈd(y)u̇r-ə-blē 

adverb