Meanings
comparative more penetrable · superlative most penetrable
- Capable of being penetrated, entered, or pierced.
On the east the high mountain-chain of Zagros, penetrable only in one or two places, forms a barrier of the most marked character, and is beyond a doubt the natural limit for which we are looking.
1867, George Rawlinson, The Five Great Monarchies of the Ancient Eastern World - figurativelyCapable of being fully understood.
A capacity is cognitively penetrable in this sense if that capacity is affected by the subject's knowledge or ignorance of the domain.
1996, Peter Carruthers, Peter K. Smith, Theories of Theories of Mind1 more example
A Boer may know you, but it will take you some time to know him, and when a certain stage in your acquaintance is reached, you may begin to wonder whether his real nature is penetrable at all.
1900, Arthur M. Mann, The Boer in Peace and War
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveadmitting of penetration or passage into or through
adjectivecapable of being penetrated
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Medieval Latinpenetrābilis
- Old Frenchpenetrable
- Middle Englishpenetrable
- Englishpenetrable
From Middle English penetrable, penytrable, from Old French penetrable, from Medieval Latin penetrābilis.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Medieval Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian проницаем
- проницаем (pronicaem)capable of being penetrated
Catalan penetrable
- penetrablecapable of being penetrated
Czech proniknutelný
- proniknutelnýcapable of being penetrated
Dutch doordringbaar
- doordringbaarcapable of being penetrated
Finnish läpäistävä, läpäistävissä oleva
- läpäistäväcapable of being penetrated
- läpäistävissä olevacapable of being penetrated
French pénétrable
- pénétrablecapable of being penetrated
German durchlässig
- durchlässigcapable of being penetrated
Italian penetrabile, perforabile
- penetrabilecapable of being penetrated
- perforabilecapable of being penetrated
- trapassabilecapable of being penetrated
Latin penetrābilis
- penetrābiliscapable of being penetrated
Polish penetrowalny
- penetrowalnycapable of being penetrated
Portuguese penetrável
- penetrávelcapable of being penetrated
Romanian penetrabil
- penetrabilcapable of being penetrated
Spanish penetrable
- penetrablecapable of being penetrated
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
penetrable. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/penetrable
“penetrable.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/penetrable. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “penetrable,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/penetrable.
Source: penetrable on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.