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

• 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

Boone believes the Yankees evolved into a good defensive club, but that point is debatable. —Levi Weaver, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025

What's still debatable is the exact threshold at which risks increase. —Will Stone, NPR, 8 Oct. 2025

Advertisement Ed Gein isn’t wrong to note that great art has arisen from engagement with true crime (though Chain Saw’s inclusion in that canon is debatable). —Judy Berman, Time, 6 Oct. 2025

While Stroud's drop in athleticism is debatable, the young signal-caller’s production has dipped since his standout rookie season. —Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 4 Oct. 2025

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