practicable

adjective

prac·​ti·​ca·​ble ˈprak-ti-kə-bəl How to pronounce practicable (audio)
1
: capable of being put into practice or of being done or accomplished : feasible
a practicable plan
2
: capable of being used : usable
a practicable weapon
practicability noun
practicableness noun
practicably adverb
Choose the Right Synonym for practicable

possible, practicable, feasible mean capable of being realized.

possible implies that a thing may certainly exist or occur given the proper conditions.

a possible route up the west face of the mountain

practicable implies that something may be effected by available means or under current conditions.

a solution that is not practicable in the time available

feasible applies to what is likely to work or be useful in attaining the end desired.

commercially feasible for mass production

Examples of practicable in a Sentence

The idea is interesting but not practicable, I'm afraid. a solution that is not practicable in the time available to us
Recent Examples on the Web The proclamation encourages visitors in West Maui to depart the island as soon as safe and practicable. Kevin Shalvey, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2023 Such an arrangement seems, at best, only circumstantially practicable. Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 14 July 2023 In case of an emergency or unforeseeable need, notify your employer as soon as practicable. Gisselle Medina, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2023 The math that explains why a donut is really the same shape as coffee mug but not a waste bin could be the key to making quantum computers practicable. IEEE Spectrum, 18 June 2023 In broad strokes, the idea would be that Intel would aggressively ramp up its manufacturing capabilities by any means necessary in order to support production of Nvidia’s GPUs as soon as practicable. Rob Toews, Forbes, 7 May 2023 From Concept to Capability DARPA is concerned with developing advanced technologies well ahead of what’s immediately practicable, and thus the HAWC program incepted in 2014 doesn’t seek to create a viable weapon, but rather to refine the pre-requisite propulsion and airframe technologies . Sebastien Roblin, Forbes, 28 Sep. 2021 The order will direct the Attorney General to establish procedures to provide educational materials related to voter registration and voting, and to the extent practicable, to facilitate voter registration, for all eligible individuals in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. al, 7 Mar. 2021 The suit further states that Slaughter and other RedHead sock customers have sustained economic injury and that, given the relatively small amount of damages at stake for any of the individual class members, individual litigation is not practicable, hence the class action suit. Steve Larese, Outside Online, 21 July 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'practicable.' 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

1893, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of practicable was in 1893

Dictionary Entries Near practicable

Cite this Entry

“Practicable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/practicable. Accessed 22 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

practicable

adjective
prac·​ti·​ca·​ble ˈprak-ti-kə-bəl How to pronounce practicable (audio)
1
: capable of being done, put into practice, or accomplished : feasible
a practicable plan
2
: usable
a practicable weapon
practicability noun

More from Merriam-Webster on practicable

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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