1
2
as in penetrable
capable of being passed into or through the jungle is not passable without a machete

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3
as in decent
of a level of quality that meets one's needs or standards that's a passable paper

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

4

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 passable Instead, work crews will report at 7 a.m. Sunday and work in 12-hour shifts to keep roadways safe and passable. Jolene Almendarez, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025 For us, the impassable route proved quite passable and even rustic in a fun way. Maya Silver, Outside Online, 27 June 2025 As such, the finished product is a parade of musical legends, not just comedians who wear funny suits and do a passable job singing R&B hits. Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 21 June 2025 Multiple scouts called his defense in center field passable. Will Sammon, New York Times, 15 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for passable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for passable
Adjective
  • Prosecutors alleged the dock and two boat lifts violated the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, which barred any bridge or dam from being built over some navigable waters.
    Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2025
  • Climate change may well make exploration less costly and shipping routes more navigable in the region.
    Saleem H. Ali, Forbes.com, 18 May 2025
Adjective
  • Mescal’s performance is carefully pitched in its quiet devastation, but Lionel, hidden behind his thick glasses and polite manner, is never quite penetrable.
    Radhika Seth, Vogue, 22 May 2025
  • Strong actors also can’t prop up a script built out of barely penetrable mumbo jumbo.
    David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Adjective
  • Leadership failures left many people without work to do or decent conditions in which to live.
    Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 7 Aug. 2025
  • Only a few Braves have been good at it, and too many of them cost the team repeatedly in close games when merely decent RISP hitting would make a difference.
    David O'Brien, New York Times, 7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • The law dropped the requirement to test drugs on animals for FDA approval when there’s other safety data from computer simulations or mini-organs satisfactory to regulators.
    Alex Knapp, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
  • But because Cal West is building the park and will pay for its amenities, the city deemed the requirements satisfactory.
    Tammy Murga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 July 2025
Adjective
  • The process of seasoning involves heating up unsaturated fats, often high-heat oils like grape-seed oil or canola oil, atop a porous metal like carbon steel or cast iron.
    Matthew Korfhage, Wired News, 6 Aug. 2025
  • My scrim between reality and memory, truth and simulation, had become porous, faulty.
    Sophie Brickman, The Atlantic, 4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • And finally, even if conditions are favorable for sweat evaporation, if the body cannot produce adequate sweat, there is no heat loss.
    Bryant Stamford, The Courier-Journal, 7 Aug. 2025
  • Chlorosis is a sign a rose may not be getting adequate nutrients.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • In a season of parity and mediocre first-place teams, the Mariners are trying to set themselves apart.
    Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 31 July 2025
  • And prospects are mediocre for the coming months, given the 15% tariff, or import tax, imposed on European goods in the U.S. under the EU-U.S. trade deal announced Sunday.
    Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 30 July 2025
Adjective
  • The Diggers passed out thousands of hits of Owsley Stanley’s finest and served turkey sandwiches, which Stanley had also contributed.
    Dennis McNally, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2025
  • Forbes second-annual list of America’s Top Lawyers—a recognition designed to spotlight the nation’s finest attorneys in private practice—is set to debut in the coming months.
    Liane Jackson, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Passable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/passable. Accessed 23 Aug. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on passable

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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