observable

adjective

ob·​serv·​able əb-ˈzər-və-bəl How to pronounce observable (audio)
1
2
: capable of being observed : discernible
observability noun
observable noun
observably adverb

Examples of observable in a Sentence

the size of the observable universe scientists often work with phenomena that are not directly observable
Recent Examples on the Web For instance, on Mastermind, older contestants blinked more than younger ones, and women blinked more than men, whereas in the lab there have been no observable differences among these groups. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 17 Nov. 2023 Together, dark energy and dark matter make up 95% of everything in the observable universe. William Harwood, CBS News, 7 Nov. 2023 For stars like our sun, p-modes dominate their observable oscillations; their g-modes, which are affected by internal magnetic fields, are too weak to detect and can’t reach the star’s surface. Kevin Hartnett, Quanta Magazine, 22 Aug. 2023 For Givens, that’s observable not just in the makeup of the City Council but also in that of their staffs. Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2023 Astronomers estimate that there are about 200 billion trillion stars in the observable universe. Brian Jackson, Discover Magazine, 18 Oct. 2023 The economics profession values economists for being able to translate observable reality into elegant mathematical equations, which the rest of us don’t care two hoots about. Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 16 Oct. 2023 Scientists remain puzzled by antimatter’s scarcity in the observable universe. Reuters, NBC News, 28 Sep. 2023 Conspicuously, Russia has not engaged in observable large-scale cyberattacks on targets beyond Ukraine. Austin Carson, Foreign Affairs, 14 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'observable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1589, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of observable was in 1589

Dictionary Entries Near observable

Cite this Entry

“Observable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/observable. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

observable

adjective
ob·​serv·​able əb-ˈzər-və-bəl How to pronounce observable (audio)
: able to be observed : noticeable
observably adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on observable

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