debatable

de·bat·able | \ di-ˈbā-tə-bəl

How to pronounce debatable (audio)

, dē- \

Definition of debatable

1 : claimed by more than one country debatable border territory

2a : open to dispute : questionable the debatable wisdom of his advice

b : open to debate

3 : capable of being debated

Other Words from debatable Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about debatable

Keep scrolling for more

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 But even if shoppers do party like its 1999 — and that’s still debatable — retailers may not escape a New Year hangover. — Washington Post, "Boris Bounce Won’t Save Christmas for British Retailers," 16 Dec. 2019 The bar for impeachment in America is vague and debatable. — The Economist, "How impeachment works outside America," 16 Dec. 2019 What’s not debatable, though, is how well Zaidi did with the rest of his day. — Jon Tayler, SI.com, "MLB Trade Deadline Winners and Losers: What Happened to the Yankees and Dodgers?," 31 July 2019 What’s not debatable is the power of Oracle to fluster and intimidate an opponent, to help fuel a Warriors run. — Ann Killion, SFChronicle.com, "Steve Kerr says Warriors need Oracle Arena crowd ‘more than ever’ in Game 3," 5 June 2019 But what is debatable is the age-old question: Which of Oregon’s Christmas tree species is the best one? — oregonlive, "5 Oregon Christmas tree species, ranked," 11 Dec. 2019 This relatable is debatable, though, considering that the characters are conventionally attractive and range from comfortable to wealthy. — New York Times, "‘The L Word: Generation Q’ Review: New Vision, Old Blind Spots," 5 Dec. 2019 But how much credit Bloomberg deserves is debatable in a year when President Trump seemed to be the driver of huge voter turnout. — Washington Post, "First stop on Bloomberg’s presidential campaign: Virginia, where he spent millions to help Democrats," 25 Nov. 2019 Whether Madrid has recruited well this summer is debatable. — Jonathan Wilson, SI.com, "Madrid Derby Catches Real, Atletico in Midst of Sorting Out Their Transitions," 27 Sep. 2019

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

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about debatable

Dictionary Entries near debatable

Statistics for debatable

Last Updated

14 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Debatable.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debatable. Accessed 21 January 2020.

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

bonhomie

good-natured easy friendliness

Test Your Vocabulary

The Eponym Quiz

Which is the best synonym of bowdlerize?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.