scalable

adjective

scal·able | \ ˈskā-lə-bəl

Definition of scalable

1 : capable of being scaled

2 : capable of being easily expanded or upgraded on demand a scalable computer network

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Examples of scalable in a Sentence

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Lambda School has no campus; the video lectures are available wherever students have wifi—and thus infinitely scalable, so long as there are coding jobs to fill (for the moment, there are plenty). — Gregory Barber, WIRED, "Lambda School's For-Profit Plan to Solve Student Debt," 26 Aug. 2019 According to a Record Union spokesperson, the panel looked for scalable projects that could eventually reach a wider and/or global audience of musicians. — Chris Eggertsen, Billboard, "New Initiative Awards Grants to Combat Mental Illness in the Music Industry," 9 July 2019 One of the reasons philanthropists sometimes fail to measure what really matters is that the global political economy primarily seeks what is efficient and scalable. — Wired, "Philanthropy and the Challenge of Quantifying Success," 30 July 2019 Industry experts predict the launch of scalable commercial CBD products will force the FDA to expedite a federal regulatory framework. — Laura Reiley, Anchorage Daily News, "CBD-infused food and beverages are still illegal under US law. So why are they everywhere?," 25 June 2019 Industry experts predict the launch of scalable commercial CBD products will force the FDA to expedite a federal regulatory framework. — The Washington Post, Twin Cities, "CBD-infused food and beverages are still illegal under US law. So why are they everywhere?," 24 June 2019 Industry experts predict the launch of scalable commercial CBD products will force the FDA to expedite a federal regulatory framework. — The Washington Post, The Mercury News, "CBD is still illegal in the US. So why is it everywhere?," 24 June 2019 Right now, Santo is working with 2-liter tanks, and one of the big questions of clean meat is how scalable the process is. — Tamar Haspel, Vox, "Lab-grown meat and the fight over what it can be called, explained," 31 Aug. 2018 But the technique could be more scalable than leading approaches for reconstructing sports in 3D, which require arrays of cameras around the pitch recording every angle. — Edd Gent, Science | AAAS, "Watch artificial intelligence project a 3D soccer match on your kitchen table," 12 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'scalable.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

17 Sep 2019

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The first known use of scalable was circa 1580

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More Definitions for scalable

scalability

noun

Financial Definition of scalability

What It Is

Scalability refers to a company's ability to increase its production profitably.

How It Works

Let's assume it costs Company XYZ $1 million to produce 1 million widgets per year ($1 per widget). This $1 million cost includes $500,000 of administrative, insurance and marketing expenses, which are generally fixed. If Company XYZ decides to produce 2 million widgets next year, its total production costs may only rise to $1.5 million ($0.75 per widget) because it can spread its fixed costs over more units. This means Company XYZ has scalability. Although Company XYZ's total costs increase from $1 million to $1.5 million, each widget becomes less expensive to produce and therefore more profitable.

The idea of scalability is based on economies of scale, which refers to the reduction of per-unit costs through an increase in production volume.

Why It Matters

Operational efficiencies create scalability. These efficiencies often are the result of division or specialization of labor, reorganization of key processes, the implementation of new technology, and bulk materials purchases.

Scalability is a huge competitive advantage. A lack of it can discourage new competitors from entering a market or eliminate smaller competitors. This is why it can lead to an oligopoly, where only a few companies produce the majority of an industry's output. Sometimes scalability can even lead one company to dominate an industry; this is called a natural monopoly.

Source: Investing Answers

scalable

adjective