passable
adjective
pass·able
ˈpa-sə-bəl 
1
a
: capable of being passed, crossed, or traveled on
passable roads
b
: capable of being freely circulated
2
: good enough : adequate
Examples of passable in a Sentence
The main road is passable but most others are still covered with snow.
The river is passable during the summer months.
He did a passable job with the assignment.
She plays passable golf but prefers tennis.
Recent Examples on the Web
Low-water crossings are inundated with water and may not be passable.
—
Staff Reports, The Arizona Republic, 1 Apr. 2024
After the umpteenth attempt, with his mother smiling nearby, Cancela sighed after securing a passable knot.
—Billy Witz, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2024
The scientific jargon is silly, and the acting is merely passable.
—Katie Rife, EW.com, 19 Oct. 2023
As the week draws on, my surfing ability graduates from clumsy toddler to passable beginner under the guidance of Youness Ahrbi, an affable, and very patient, former Moroccan surfing champion.
—Nirpal Dhaliwal, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Mar. 2024
Between the heavy prosthetics required to turn Linklater’s face into a passable approximation of Lincoln’s, and the folksy sayings he’s tasked with delivering, Lincoln comes across as a genial cartoon.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024
Davis was a roughly league-average hitter, but his defense was merely passable.
—Daniel R. Epstein, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024
The last 12 miles are a narrow, winding gravel road passable to sedans.
—Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 4 Jan. 2024
Multiple spots along the route are not passable, said P. J. Costa, eastern U.P. trails specialist with the DNR Parks and Recreation Division, in a release Wednesday.
—Detroit Free Press, 23 Feb. 2024
Staff Reports, The Arizona Republic, 1 Apr. 2024
After the umpteenth attempt, with his mother smiling nearby, Cancela sighed after securing a passable knot.
—Billy Witz, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2024
The scientific jargon is silly, and the acting is merely passable.
—Katie Rife, EW.com, 19 Oct. 2023
As the week draws on, my surfing ability graduates from clumsy toddler to passable beginner under the guidance of Youness Ahrbi, an affable, and very patient, former Moroccan surfing champion.
—Nirpal Dhaliwal, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Mar. 2024
Between the heavy prosthetics required to turn Linklater’s face into a passable approximation of Lincoln’s, and the folksy sayings he’s tasked with delivering, Lincoln comes across as a genial cartoon.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024
Davis was a roughly league-average hitter, but his defense was merely passable.
—Daniel R. Epstein, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024
The last 12 miles are a narrow, winding gravel road passable to sedans.
—Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 4 Jan. 2024
Multiple spots along the route are not passable, said P. J. Costa, eastern U.P. trails specialist with the DNR Parks and Recreation Division, in a release Wednesday.
—Detroit Free Press, 23 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'passable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near passable
Cite this Entry
“Passable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/passable. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
passable
adjective
pass·able
ˈpas-ə-bəl
1
: capable of being passed, crossed, or traveled on
passable roads
2
: barely good enough : tolerable
a passable imitation
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