laudable

adjective

laud·​able ˈlȯ-də-bəl 

: worthy of praise : commendable

She has shown a laudable devotion to her children.

laudableness

ˈlȯ-də-bəl-nəs 

noun

laudably

ˈlȯ-də-blē 

adverb

Did you know?

Let’s have a hearty round of applause for laudable, a word that never fails to celebrate the positive. Laudable comes ultimately from Latin laud- or laus, meaning "praise," as does laudatory. However, the two differ in meaning, and usage commentators warn against using them interchangeably. Laudable means "deserving praise" or "praiseworthy," as in "laudable efforts to help the disadvantaged." Laudatory means "giving praise" or "expressing praise," as in "a laudatory book review." People occasionally use laudatory in place of laudable, but this use is not considered standard.

Synonyms

• admirable
• applaudable
• commendable
• creditable
• estimable
• meritorious
• praiseworthy

Examples of laudable in a Sentence

Improving the schools is a laudable goal.

you showed laudable restraint in dealing with that ridiculously demanding customer

Recent Examples on the Web

Although the aim of simplification in terms of reporting duties for companies is laudable… simplification cannot mean broad sweeping deregulation that changes the entire purposes of the previous directives. —Jon McGowan, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025

In a laudable but clumsily executed effort to make AJLT less straight and white than its predecessor, the first season conspicuously paired each of its three returning leads with a new woman-of-color friend. —Judy Berman, Time, 28 May 2025

The plan is estimated to create 82,000 additional units of housing across the five boroughs over the next 15 years — a laudable step towards easing our housing crisis but hardly a complete reinvention of a city that has grown by some 3 million people in the last 100 years. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 28 Mar. 2025

President Donald Trump’s goal of more manufacturing in the United States is laudable. —Willie Wilson, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for laudable

• audible
• inaudible

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Kids Definition

laudable

adjective

laud·​able ˈlȯd-ə-bəl 

: praiseworthy

laudableness

-nəs 

noun

laudably

ˈlȯd-ə-blē 

adverb