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as in useful
capable of or suitable for being used for a particular purpose that flimsy little saw is not a very practicable tool for cutting heavy tree branches

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective practicable differ from other similar words?

The words feasible and possible are common synonyms of practicable. While all three words mean "capable of being realized," practicable implies that something may be effected by available means or under current conditions.

a solution that is not practicable in the time available

When is feasible a more appropriate choice than practicable?

The words feasible and practicable are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, feasible applies to what is likely to work or be useful in attaining the end desired.

commercially feasible for mass production

In what contexts can possible take the place of practicable?

Although the words possible and practicable have much in common, possible implies that a thing may certainly exist or occur given the proper conditions.

a possible route up the west face of the mountain

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 practicable To do this, the United States must maintain the capability to destroy as many of the attacker’s nuclear weapons as practicable before or after they are launched, a principle known as counterforce targeting. Vipin Narang, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025 This might include a review of cybersecurity policies, checks on overall cryptographic health and conversations about practicable roadmaps for deploying quantum-safe algorithms. Jordan Rackie, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025 The technology suddenly seemed practicable. Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2025 Penguin Random House Canada provides the Information in an accessible format or with appropriate Communication Supports, as soon as practicable, upon request. Hazlitt, 4 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for practicable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for practicable
Adjective
  • Having initially faced 20 years in jail, the additional indictments raised his possible jail term to 45 years, with a mandatory minimum of five years in federal prison.
    Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Each restaurant in Jefferson County is scored out of a possible 100 points.
    Gege Reed, Louisville Courier Journal, 24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The offer is applicable for a vehicle lease or purchase, according to Ann Marie Fortunate, a spokeswoman for Stellantis.
    Susan Tompor, USA Today, 19 Oct. 2025
  • These roles have given me strong skills in fiscal responsibility, transparency, and collaboration — qualities that are directly applicable to serving on the school board.
    Pioneer Press elections team, Twin Cities, 16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Yet much of Mason’s advice is simply about being useful, by delivering facts and opinions in a clear, elegant way.
    Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
  • That being said, while measuring GDP is a useful barometer for the health of each economy, the might of America’s economy is evident.
    Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • This is at least a factor of a few thousand below the Planck scale, but tens of millions of times greater than the maximum energies achievable at the Large Hadron Collider.
    Big Think, Big Think, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Dozens of companies are now competing to make the world’s first viable humanoid robot, convinced that recent advances in AI have made what was once a pipe dream into achievable reality.
    Billy Perrigo, Time, 14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • This practical gift idea keeps hands ultra-warm and cozy thanks to its fleeced interior and waterproof, windproof, and snow-proof exterior.
    Jessie Quinn, StyleCaster, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Remote monitoring is another practical frontier.
    Scott R. Schell, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The set is available in 19 colors, including a rich clay shade ideal for autumn.
    Melody Kazel, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
  • The details of the cases were not proactively made public beyond being made available for review for anyone who files a request under the state's public records law.
    Molly Beck, jsonline.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The materials used, PPy, PSS, and simple solvents, are inexpensive, and fabrication requires only basic voltage control and laser patterning, making large-scale production feasible.
    Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Flexibility where feasible, paid time off for symptom flare days, and practical measures like temperature control and quiet rest areas reduce the friction that turns symptoms into lost days.
    Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The 2025 Nobel Prize for physics recognizes original investigations in the intersection of basic and applied sciences.
    Zhixin Wang, The Conversation, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Moving beyond the theory of the market, those skilled in applied finance understand how to make practical decisions in financial spaces.
    Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Practicable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/practicable. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.

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