permissible

1 of 2

adjective

per·​mis·​si·​ble pər-ˈmi-sə-bəl 

: that may be permitted : allowable

permissibility

pər-ˌmi-sə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

permissibleness

pər-ˈmi-sə-bəl-nəs 

noun

permissibly

pər-ˈmi-sə-blē 

adverb

permissibility

2 of 2

noun

per·​mis·​si·​bil·​i·​ty pə(r)ˌmisəˈbilətē 

-lətē, 

-i

plural -es

: the quality or state of being permissible

a greater emotional permissibility, a greater readiness to welcome tears or laughter

—Irving Howe & Eliezer Greenberg

Synonyms of permissible

Adjective

• allowable
• acceptable
• permitted

Examples of permissible in a Sentence

Adjective

deployment overseas would be regarded as a permissible reason for late filing by members of the military

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The whole setup weighs 282 lb (128 kg), which allows for a total permissible payload of 330 lb (150 kg), of which 154 lb (70 kg) can be in the sidecar. — New Atlas, 9 July 2026

Because what does an erotic thriller look like in a world where everything is permissible, everything is accessible? — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 8 July 2026

The idea that corruption is the only compelling government interest that is legally permissible is an overreach by the Supreme Court into the province of the legislative branch. — Barbara McQuade, Mercury News, 7 July 2026

Here is an illustration of what might be one of many permissible applications of a Legacy Trust. — Martin Shenkman, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Medieval Latin permissibilis, from Latin permissus, past participle of permittere

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for permissible

• miscible
• admissible
• immiscible
• transmissible
• impermissible
• inadmissible
• indivisible
• inexplicable

Kids Definition

permissible

adjective

per·​mis·​si·​ble pər-ˈmis-ə-bəl 

: that may be permitted : allowable

permissibility

-ˌmis-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

permissibleness

-ˈmis-ə-bəl-nəs 

noun

permissibly

-blē 

adverb