1
as in navigable
capable of being traveled on
after the snowstorm ends, the roads might not be passable for the morning ride to school
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in penetrable
capable of being passed into or through
the jungle is not passable without a machete
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3
as in decent
of a level of quality that meets one's needs or standards
that's a passable paper
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4
as in satisfactory
of average to below average quality
the actor's Scottish accent is passable at best
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of passable
By 1958, the Iwasaki Group was exporting a passable rib eye to the United States, to be used as a promotional item by a beer company.
—
Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2025
His 1985 follow-up, The Sure Thing, starring John Cusack, was a passable comedy and a minor hit.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 15 Dec. 2025
Once roads became passable, Kerrville school bus drivers loaded up hundreds of campers and shuttled them toward home.
—The Editors, Outside, 15 Dec. 2025
Crews will clear one passable lane down the middle of the street on these roads.
—Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 2 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for passable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for passable
Adjective
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From Pittsburgh, about 250 trail miles and 700 feet above Baltimore’s Chesapeake Bay, the Ohio River was navigable downstream all the way to New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico.—
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How to Get Around The old town of Villefranche-sur-Mer, with its concentration of visitor attractions and restaurants, is easy to walk around—in fact, some streets are only navigable on foot.—
Adjective
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By breaking actives down into smaller molecules, the fermentation process makes the ingredient more bioavailable and penetrable.—
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Bouncing back seven years after the barely penetrable Sunset, the Hungarian director’s new film takes its time to kick in but is a uniquely personal coming-of-age drama.—
Adjective
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To be sure, that was a decent salary back then, and would be equivalent to roughly $114,000 today.—
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On Wednesday, the Tigers earned a commitment from former Mississippi State offensive lineman Luke Work, who has decent experience at every position along the offensive line except center.—
Adjective
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But the Outback is satisfactory in both categories.—
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Storage Solutions Just one simple medicine cabinet in the bathroom is no longer satisfactory for today's homebuyers, who crave an abundance of storage.—
Adjective
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Her skin—something known as Frubber, a porous patented blend of fleshlike elastic polymers—stretched over a structure of plastic and titanium, and there was no flicker of bashfulness.—
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The watershed also is situated on relatively flat, low-lying and porous terrain, enabling higher tides to penetrate deeper into the freshwater marshes through the vast network of canals that holds the watershed together.—
Adjective
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The government, in its brief and in court, argued that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has the authority to terminate any parole program and gave adequate notice by publishing the termination in the federal registry.—
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As the United States established dominance on the world stage, the White House grounds changed dramatically, with major expansions to prevent overcrowding and afford the first family and their staff adequate office space on the maximum-security property.—
Adjective
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And what this array of talents had gotten them was a shitty job in a town outside Munich in the second division of a mediocre German league.—
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The final conclusion on the draftees and free agents is likely similar to the final conclusion on each these seasons — mediocre-ish.—
Adjective
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The American brand has been manufacturing customizable stationery and fine leather goods since 1969.—
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That's fine by Rodgers, who knows a thing or two about sneaking in the playoffs and going on a run.—
Cite this Entry
“Passable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/passable. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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