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 of passable

• navigable

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

Behind them came a strikingly handsome Captain Hook and, right on his heels, a passable seventies-era Elton John. — Téa Obreht, New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2026

After starting red-hot offensively and passable defensively through the first five games, the tides have flipped. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 30 Oct. 2026

Images provided by the researchers show the sleeve displaying photos of tigers, parrots and classical marble statues, all with a fuzzy but passable resolution. — Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 28 Oct. 2026

At least her original music is passable, even if the narrative context surrounding it can’t help but evoke Netflix’s much more successful KPop Demon Hunters. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for passable

• impassable
• impassible
• irascible
• unsurpassable

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