colorable

adjective col·or·able \ ˈkə-lə-rə-bəl , -lər-ə- , ˈkəl-rə- \

|Updated on: 12 Jun 2018

Definition of colorable

1 : seemingly valid or genuine

a colorable claim in law

2 : intended to deceive : counterfeit

colorable and false pretenses

—

colorably

play \ˈkə-lə-rə-blē, -lər-ə-, ˈkəl-rə-\ adverb

Recent Examples of colorable from the Web

The problem is easy to understand and start working on, and there is a clear measure of success: lowering the number of vertices in a non-four-colorable graph.

— evelyn lamb, WIRED, "An Anti-Aging Pundit Solves a Decades-Old Math Problem," 30 Apr. 2018
Frum might have had a colorable case that journalism’s role in a free society is so important that the occasional falsehood, whatever its provenance, must be tolerated.

— varad mehta, National Review, "A Faulty Restart," 15 Dec. 2017
One can make the colorable claim that credibility matters little in a movie in which Vin Diesel drives a flaming car backwards through the middle of a city and an orange Lamborghini is chased across a Russian ice floe by a submarine.

— sam adams, Slate Magazine, "The Fate of the Furious," 13 Apr. 2017
The adverse events at Alere are enough to make a colorable claim for a MAC, certainly.

— steven davidoff solomon, New York Times, "In Abbott’s Bid to Halt Purchase of Alere, the MAC Makes a Comeback," 7 Dec. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'colorable.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of colorable

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French, from colurer "to ²color, give the appearance (of), cover up" + -able -able

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Law Dictionary

colorable

adjective col·or·able

legal Definition of colorable

: having an appearance of truth, validity, or right

if a colorable claim — or better — can be pleaded
—D. F. Kolb and M. P. Carroll

—

colorably

adverb

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colorable

Definition of colorable

colorably

Recent Examples of colorable from the Web

Origin and Etymology of colorable

Law Dictionary

colorable

legal Definition of colorable

colorably

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colorable

Definition of colorable

colorably

Recent Examples of colorable from the Web

Origin and Etymology of colorable

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colorable

legal Definition of colorable

colorably

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