acceptable

adjective

ik-ˈsep-tə-bəl How to pronounce acceptable (audio)
Definition of acceptablenext
as in adequate
of a level of quality that meets one's needs or standards told the bike rental man that a ten-speed with four broken gears was not acceptable

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of acceptable The person with authority often gets to decide what constitutes an acceptable explanation, a credible account, or a sufficient expression of remorse. — Debbie Millman, Time, 22 Oct. 2026 During the call, the parties agreed in principle to continue the trial to March 22, 2027, or a later date mutually acceptable to the parties and the Court. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026 For example, placing a cardboard box in the trash may normally be acceptable. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026 Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties have a list of which IDs are acceptable. — Amaia Gavica, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for acceptable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acceptable
  1. adequate
  2. satisfactory
  3. decent
  4. fine
  5. good
  6. OK
Adjective
  • Restaurants, grocery stores and shops depend on deliveries, yet too many commercial corridors lack adequate loading zones.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • In our view, it was rushed and flawed, without an adequate evaluation framework to judge proposals fairly or fully measure their value to tourism.
    — Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of adequate
Adjective
  • An uninterrupted trip Stoliker thinks chaos is not a satisfactory explanation for psychedelics’ effect on the brain.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 10 Oct. 2026
  • After months of negotiations failed to yield a satisfactory agreement, the union approved strike action earlier this month in a vote held in tandem with unions at the Brooklyn Museum and American Folk Art Museum.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of satisfactory
Adjective
  • Tall Tales, the rooftop lounge, offers a few small bites, such as elote guacamole, along with a menu of cocktails, wine, beer, and a decent selection of nonalcoholic options.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2026
  • There should be a decent contingent of American cardinals and archbishops at the games.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of decent
Adjective
  • Miami did a relatively fine job in Weeks 2 and 3 against some of the most talented backs in Christian McCaffrey of the 49ers and Kenneth Walker of the Chiefs but slipped up the two games prior to the bye against the Vikings and Bengals.
    — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Mario Prada sourced fine leathers, silver, silk and crystal from Europe and beyond and these are on public display in Milan for the first time.
    — Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of fine
Adjective
  • SpaceX shares jumped nearly 8% on Wednesday, their best single-session performance since August.
    — Morgan Chittum, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The two musicians are so good at aping the sounds they were raised on that originality and reference become one and the same.
    — Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of good
Adjective
  • This specific task on his to-do list proves difficult when Dougal grows dissatisfied by the fight coming to a draw, both sides claiming victory, and both sides being seemingly okay with all of this.
    — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026
  • This felt like another ploy from City to yet again prove that nothing is wrong, and everything will be totally okay.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of OK

Browse Nearby Words

acceptability
acceptable
acceptably
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Acceptable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acceptable. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of emissary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All