defendable

adjective

Definition of defendablenext
1
as in defended
capable of being defended against physical attack that nation has long insisted on having borders that it regards as defendable

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in justifiable
capable of being defended with good reasoning against verbal attack your thesis had better be defendable for the attacks are going to be withering

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 defendable For months the university has been briefing journalists that its appointment system is rigorous and defendable, and that the campaign was targeted against a Black academic because of his race. — Rupert Neate, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026 Even if maritime regulators demanded shippers purchase more defendable vessels, the crews aboard are unready for the challenge. — Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026 The safe, defendable choice wasn’t necessarily the right one though. — Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defendable
  1. defended
  2. justifiable
  3. defensible
  4. protected
  5. secured
  6. secure
Adjective
  • The idea is to give aircraft another long-range weapon for attacking high-value or time-sensitive targets while keeping those aircraft farther from heavily defended areas.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The city is part of Ukraine’s Fortress Belt, a series of heavily defended cities that Russia must overcome to advance farther into the region.
    — Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of defended
Adjective
  • The most justifiable criticism against the DC detective series is that its mysteries play out wordily, without letting the audience in on how its space cops come to major conclusions.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Appalled by the failure to answer many questions, Democrats responded with what was often, though not always, justifiable outrage.
    — David Wippman, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of justifiable
Adjective
  • Gen Z is already acting on dissatisfaction, which means the window to build defensible AI practices is closing while adoption curves are still climbing.
    — Lauren Schuster, Charlotte Observer, 9 Oct. 2026
  • They will be disciplined about what they got locked into, choosing a vendor, model or architecture defensible three years out, not the one that looked strongest when purchased.
    — Girish Joshi, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of defensible
Adjective
  • Eco effort Because Kanai is a protected area, eco efforts are top of mind.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The result is a more efficient propulsion system that delivers greater range and energy, enabling engagement of highly maneuverable aerial threats at safer distances from protected forces.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of protected
Adjective
  • The company argued that the spending has so far secured scarce assets without generating cash flow.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Cuban Americans for Cuba debuted on social media the following year and, in August, secured tax-exempt nonprofit status from the IRS with a New York address.
    — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of secured
Adjective
  • Officials relocated remaining parts to a secure facility for further examination.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026
  • With 256-bit AES hardware encryption, your data is protected with a secure password.
    — George Yang, PC Magazine, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of secure

Browse Nearby Words

defend
defendable
defendant
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Defendable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defendable. Accessed 13 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 abscond

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

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

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

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Why do we call it a 'flea market'?
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

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
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All