readable

1 of 2

adjective

read·​able ˈrē-də-bəl 

: able to be read easily: such as

a

: legible

b

: interesting to read

a highly readable novel

readability

ˌrē-də-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

readableness

ˈrē-də-bəl-nəs 

noun

readably

ˈrē-də-blē 

adverb

readability

2 of 2

noun

read·​abil·​i·​ty ˌrē-də-ˈbi-lə-tē 

: the quality or state of being readable

traces our history with skill and readability

—R. L. Duffus

the physical readability of the book is poor because of its heavy, close typography

—Robert Halsband

testing the readability of prose by measuring the length of sentences

—F. L. Mott

improvement in the readability of newspaper writing

—Bruce Westley

Examples of readable in a Sentence

Adjective

The travel guide is very readable.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The classy, mostly monochrome design is dense with information yet remains readable and uncluttered. — Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 24 July 2026

The only thing harder than envisioning the end of capitalism is trying to imagine a readable book written by (or attributed to) a contemporary American political figure. — Matthew Walther, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026

Alongside that, keep a living documentation system (your GTM strategy, team principles, product decisions, ADRs) written by humans, kept short and genuinely readable, with every evolution reviewed by the team before it's committed. — Julien Vantyghem, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

The version by Robert Fagles is the classic, more poetic translation while still being very readable. — Eliana Dockterman, Time, 17 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing readable

• machine-readable

Rhymes for readable

• unreadable

Kids Definition

readable

adjective

read·​able ˈrēd-ə-bəl 

: able to be read easily

readability

ˌrēd-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

readably

-blē 

adverb