debatable

adjective

de·bat·able | \ di-ˈbā-tə-bəl

, 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

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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

Certain readers will hunger as well for sharper and more debatable insights about range management and the West. — Nathan Deuel, latimes.com, "True grit in the modern American West: 'The Last Cowboys' by John Branch," 10 May 2018 More debatable is the degree to which extinctions are genuinely catastrophic. — Jennifer Kahn, New York Times, "Should Some Species Be Allowed to Die Out?," 13 Mar. 2018 Whether or not a longer border wall would reduce the flow of illicit drugs into the U.S. is also debatable. — Kate Linthicum, latimes.com, "Trump's angry tweets about Mexico? More fiction than fact," 2 Apr. 2018 While that might be debatable, MacKenzie's historic reticence coupled with the scale of their divorce, makes her a fascinating figure. — Kate Storey, Town & Country, "Who Will Get the First MacKenzie Bezos Interview?," 10 Jan. 2019 But who should use drugs called bisphosphonates is debatable. — Marilynn Marchione, The Seattle Times, "Study suggests more older women may benefit from bone drugs," 1 Oct. 2018 Teams’ uncertain legal authority to require that players stand for the anthem The ability of NFL teams to punish players for not standing during the national anthem is also debatable. — Michael Mccann, SI.com, "Can the NFL or Its Teams Legally Require Players to Stand for the Anthem? NFLPA Doesn't Think So," 8 May 2018 And whether those cars are actually any more fun is debatable. — Ezra Dyer, Popular Mechanics, "The McLaren 570S Spider Is Your Just-Won-the-Lottery Car," 12 Dec. 2018 As such, details may sometimes be debatable, but, usually, if the narrative sticks around, something about the gist of it is right. — Victoria Murphy, Town & Country, "Are Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle Really Feuding?," 3 Dec. 2018

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.