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suitable

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adjective

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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective suitable differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of suitable are appropriate, apt, felicitous, fitting, fit, happy, meet, and proper. While all these words mean "right with respect to some end, need, use, or circumstance," suitable implies an answering to requirements or demands.

clothes suitable for camping

In what contexts can appropriate take the place of suitable?

The meanings of appropriate and suitable largely overlap; however, appropriate implies eminent or distinctive fitness.

an appropriate gift

Where would apt be a reasonable alternative to suitable?

The synonyms apt and suitable are sometimes interchangeable, but apt connotes a fitness marked by nicety and discrimination.

apt quotations

When could felicitous be used to replace suitable?

In some situations, the words felicitous and suitable are roughly equivalent. However, felicitous suggests an aptness that is opportune, telling, or graceful.

a felicitous phrase

When is fit a more appropriate choice than suitable?

While in some cases nearly identical to suitable, fit stresses adaptability and sometimes special readiness for use or action.

fit for battle

When would fitting be a good substitute for suitable?

While the synonyms fitting and suitable are close in meaning, fitting implies harmony of mood or tone.

a fitting end

When might happy be a better fit than suitable?

The words happy and suitable are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, happy suggests what is effectively or successfully appropriate.

a happy choice of words

When is it sensible to use meet instead of suitable?

The words meet and suitable can be used in similar contexts, but meet suggests a just proportioning.

meet payment

When can proper be used instead of suitable?

Although the words proper and suitable have much in common, proper suggests a suitability through essential nature or accordance with custom.

proper acknowledgement

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 suitability
Noun
All 18-year-old men will be required to complete an online survey assessing their willingness and suitability for service. Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025 Voir dire is the process through which potential jurors are questioned by either a judge or a lawyer to determine their suitability to serve on a jury, according to the Cornell Law School's online Legal Information Institute. Arkansas Online, 28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Celebrities are proving the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak is suitable for pretty much any occasion. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 6 Sep. 2025 This plan is suitable for basic internet needs such as browsing, email and streaming. Roxanne Downer, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for suitability
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suitability
Noun
  • In January, the City Council voted for a certificate of appropriateness that paved the way for the Tin Shop building to either be relocated or demolished in the future.
    Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 21 Aug. 2025
  • Many of these conferences took place at luxury resorts, raising questions about the appropriateness of the venues.
    Daniel Bice, jsonline.com, 18 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • This memo defined preferential treatment as providing opportunities that disadvantages other qualified persons.
    Eric Wood, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
  • The defending world champions had already qualified for the 2026 World Cup, but Thursday was a celebration of Messi’s sterling international career.
    Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Community policing, which is a collaboration between police and the community to solve problems, and the use-of-force continuum – the escalating series of appropriate actions an officer may take to resolve a situation – also form part of training.
    Luke William Hunt, The Conversation, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Plants produce a large, fleshy underground storage organ (the bulb) that, at the appropriate time of year, and in response to a certain set of environmental conditions, sends out a spray of strap-like leaves and one or more stalks that end in one or more flowers.
    Paul Cappiello, Louisville Courier Journal, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • To the extent that a reader has any questions regarding the applicability of any specific issue discussed above to his/her individual situation, he/she is encouraged to consult with the professional advisor of his/her choosing, including a tax advisor and/or attorney.
    Bob Sponseller, The Enquirer, 26 Aug. 2025
  • Kanter said that’s a reflection of the panel members’ areas of expertise that are relevant to evaluating the safety, efficacy and applicability of shots.
    Annika Kim Constantino,Bertha Coombs,Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • All of the cats who tested this litter adjusted to it quickly and easily — some even had a little play date in their box, kicking and scratching, which is a good sign!
    Kayla Blanton, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Leisure’s best new hotels of 2021, Wander the Resort offers 10 luxurious glass-and-timber cabins along the quiet northern shores of West Lake.
    Alexandra Emanuelli, Travel + Leisure, 7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Candy fans will enjoy watching it, and his children — who both participate in the documentary — will be able to look to it as a fitting tribute to their father.
    Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
  • For Bowie, the choice to put his creative energy into a musical in what would be the final months of his life seems to be a fitting one.
    Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Films of striking social relevance that never fall to polemic or sensationalism, but instead so trustingly fulfill their characters’ plight and courage.
    Leo Barraclough, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
  • This also presents an opportunity for Europe to turn strongly towards renewables and develop more nuclear, wind, and water infrastructure in order to fully account for the gap which would further erode Russia’s relevance in that market.
    Earl Carr, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Monday's test was the ninth of the engine built with carbon fiber and capable of producing 1,971 kilonewtons of thrust, more powerful than past models, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency.
    Robert Birsel, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Jerome Ford is not a feature back and should be demoted once Judkins proves capable at pass protection and blitz pickups after missing all of training camp.
    Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Suitability.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suitability. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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