habitable

adjective

hab·​it·​able ˈha-bə-tə-bəl 

also hə-ˈbi-tə-

: capable of being lived in : suitable for habitation

habitability

ˌha-bə-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

habitableness

ˈha-bə-tə-bəl-nes 

noun

habitably

ˈha-bə-tə-blē 

also hə-ˈbi-tə-

adverb

Synonyms of habitable

• inhabitable

Examples of habitable in a Sentence

The house is not habitable.

the frigid Arctic is not habitable for amphibians and reptiles—or for humans, either, for that matter

Recent Examples on the Web

Of those, 25,325 have been declared habitable, allowing residents to return, while 9,866 have been classified as suitable only for restricted occupancy because of structural damage requiring repairs or continuous monitoring. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 4 Aug. 2026

Others just want someone to tell them their house can be habitable again. — Julimar Valentina Rivas Perez, NBC news, 24 July 2026

If accurate, this discovery might have made our Solar System next-door neighbor more habitable in its distant past. — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 23 July 2026

The telescope will use gravitational microlensing to detect planets in and beyond the habitable zones of their star systems. — Elijah Tan, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for habitable

• uninhabitable

Kids Definition

habitable

adjective

hab·​it·​able ˈhab-ət-ə-bəl 

: suitable or fit to live in

a habitable cave

habitability

ˌhab-ət-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

Legal Definition

habitable

adjective

hab·​it·​able ˈha-bi-tə-bəl 

: suitable and fit for a person to live in : free of defects that endanger the health and safety of occupants see also warranty of habitability at warranty

habitability

ˌha-bi-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

habitableness noun

habitably adverb