debatable

adjective

de·​bat·​able di-ˈbā-tə-bəl 

dē-

1

: claimed by more than one country

debatable border territory

2

a

: open to dispute : questionable

the debatable wisdom of his advice

b

: open to debate

3

: capable of being debated

debatably

di-ˈbā-tə-blē 

dē-

adverb

Synonyms of debatable

• questionable
• disputable
• arguable

Examples of debatable in a Sentence

it's always debatable which college football team is really number one, since there's more than one ranking system

the debatable wisdom of going back for another helping from the buffet

Recent Examples on the Web

For now, the Purdy-Jones fit could be the NFL’s best quarterback pairing, debatable with Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow and Joe Flacco. — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 16 July 2026

Some decisions have been debatable, England rarely looked fluent, but Tuchel is a good manager, has embraced the unique challenges of the England job, and there will arguably be no better coach available to lead the team into Euro 2028. — The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 16 July 2026

Whether the controversy truly affected the game remains debatable. — Clemente Lisi, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Whether these features will be useful in your daily life is debatable. — Christian De Looper, PC Magazine, 30 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1536, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for debatable

• datable
• inflatable
• locatable
• rotatable
• titratable
• translatable
• untranslatable

Kids Definition

debatable

adjective

de·​bat·​able di-ˈbāt-ə-bəl 

: open to question or dispute

a debatable decision

debatably

-blē 

adverb