suitable

adjective

suit·​able ˈsü-tə-bəl 

1

a

: adapted to a use or purpose

suitable for kitchen use

b

: satisfying propriety : proper

suitable dress

c

: able, qualified

a suitable candidate for the job

2

obsolete : similar, matching

suitability

ˌsü-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

suitableness noun

suitably

ˈsü-tə-blē 

adverb

Synonyms of suitable

• qualified
• good
• capable
• competent
• fit
• able

Choose the Right Synonym for suitable

fit, suitable, meet, proper, appropriate, fitting, apt, happy, felicitous mean right with respect to some end, need, use, or circumstance.

fit stresses adaptability and sometimes special readiness for use or action.

fit for battle

suitable implies an answering to requirements or demands.

clothes suitable for camping

meet suggests a just proportioning.

meet payment

proper suggests a suitability through essential nature or accordance with custom.

proper acknowledgement

appropriate implies eminent or distinctive fitness.

an appropriate gift

fitting implies harmony of mood or tone.

a fitting end

apt connotes a fitness marked by nicety and discrimination.

apt quotations

happy suggests what is effectively or successfully appropriate.

a happy choice of words

felicitous suggests an aptness that is opportune, telling, or graceful.

a felicitous phrase

Examples of suitable in a Sentence

The dress was a suitable choice.

We upgraded the computer to make it suitable to our needs.

Recent Examples on the Web

The company plans to launch a pilot recycling facility by 2034 that would convert nuclear waste into material suitable for advanced fast reactors. —Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 26 May 2026

Finding flattering, warm weather-friendly clothing suitable for petites can be a challenge. —Ali Faccenda, InStyle, 25 May 2026

Western and central African countries such as Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon could lose up to 50% of land suitable for cocoa farming by 2050 due to climate change, according to a March 2025 study by the Agricultural and Forest Meteorology journal. —Indrabati Lahiri, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026

It's also built for maximum comfort with a wide elastic waistband and a cooling, 100 percent cotton design suitable for even the hottest days. —Tanya Sharma, PEOPLE, 25 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1563, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for suitable

• computable
• disputable
• immutable
• imputable
• inscrutable
• unsuitable
• executable
• indisputable
• irrefutable
• substitutable
• mutable

Kids Definition

suitable

adjective

suit·​able ˈsüt-ə-bəl 

1

: adapted to a use or purpose

food suitable for human consumption

2

: being fit or right for a use or group

clothes suitable to the occasion

a movie suitable for children

3

: qualified sense 1, capable

looking for a suitable replacement

suitability

ˌsüt-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

suitableness

ˈsüt-ə-bəl-nəs

noun

suitably

-blē 

adverb