as in distinguishable
able to be perceived by a sense or by the mind
there was a barely detectable hum coming from the refrigerator
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Recent Examples of detectable
Even with no other detectable galaxies around it, this galaxy — known as MCG+01–02–015 — displays enormous evidence of having merged with smaller galaxies over its cosmic history.
—
Big Think, 26 Mar. 2026
It is estimated that there are 500,000 detectable earthquakes in the world each year.
—Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 26 Mar. 2026
Researchers still haven’t pinned down the full range of celestial bodies whose mergers can produce gravitational waves detectable by LVK.
—K. R. Callaway, Scientific American, 17 Mar. 2026
Just how many alien societies exist and are detectable?
—Leonard David, Space.com, 17 Mar. 2026
Big Think, 26 Mar. 2026
It is estimated that there are 500,000 detectable earthquakes in the world each year.
—Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 26 Mar. 2026
Researchers still haven’t pinned down the full range of celestial bodies whose mergers can produce gravitational waves detectable by LVK.
—K. R. Callaway, Scientific American, 17 Mar. 2026
Just how many alien societies exist and are detectable?
—Leonard David, Space.com, 17 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detectable
Adjective
-
For Fall 2026, creative director Anthony Vaccarello showcased a series of single- and double-breasted black suits, distinguishable from one another by the slightest shade.—
Kevin Huynh,
InStyle,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The details of the plot are not particularly important or distinguishable from previous entries.—
Michael Ordoña,
San Francisco Chronicle,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Despite audible boos in the theater and the third winner Mark Sonnenblick visibly protesting the play off, the broadcast moved forward to a commercial break, and the lights on stage were cut, forcing the three off stage.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Hulu offers standard closed captioning, but relatively few titles support audio descriptions, an accessibility feature that provides audible narration of on-screen actions that would not be discernible through dialogue alone.—
Jordan Minor,
PC Magazine,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
That second gear arrives only after 120 KPH, and while the handover is noticeable (though not harsh), your butt dyno will also note that the torque curve is in fact a straight line that doesn’t relent.—
Sean Evans,
Robb Report,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Sometimes these shifts are small, noticeable only to the character experiencing them, as when an impending hurricane heightens the narrator’s receptivity to the minor mysteries of humble objects.—
Hannah Gold,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Unlike other groups designated as terrorist threats, Antifa is more of a set of tactics and a political philosophy than a discernible group.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
26 Mar. 2026
-
This was a dramatic turn after Starmer had sought a reputation as something of a Trump-whisperer — even if that went down badly with many Britons at home, failing to win discernible gains over the Ukraine war and Trump’s hostile pursuit of Greenland.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
An airport offers, if not exactly an equitable experience (there are Clear lines, lounge archipelagos), then at least a perceptible simulacrum of equality, in that everyone rides the same people movers past the same Cinnabons.—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Instead, there was a perceptible rise in militant attacks within Pakistan, accompanied by Kabul’s reluctance or inability to decisively act against Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.—
Rabia Akhtar,
The Conversation,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Detectable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detectable. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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