permissible

per·mis·si·ble
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US/pɚˈmɪsɪbl̩/UK/pəˈmɪsɪbl̩/

adjective

permitted.

Less commonScrabble 17

Meanings

adjectivepermissible (comparative more permissible, superlative most permissible)

comparative more permissible · superlative most permissible

  1. permitted.

    The units will be allowed to run up to 90 m.p.h. between Chelmsford and Colchester, but their maximum speed of 100 m.p.h. is not permissible on the G.E. line.

    1963 March, “The Clacton express electric multiple-units enter service”, in Modern Railways, pages 172–173
    2 more examples

    [...] Mr. M. N. Rollason points out that on four-track lines on which the fast lines, in the centre, are flanked by the slow lines, and running at speed is permissible on all four, the traveller can enjoy some quite exciting experiences when trains are doing a "neck-and-neck" on adjacent lines.

    1944 May and June, “Notes and News: Express Travel on Slow Lines”, in Railway Magazine, page 184

    Tony Bowen, of Brigade Electronics, a firm that spent three years developing a “quiet vehicle sounder”, said permissible frequencies and modulation under the regulation make it clear that the Avas should mimic an internal combustion engine.

    2019 July 1, Matthew Weaver, “Futuristic sounds to make electric buses safer hit wrong note”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 16 Jan 2021

    Synonyms: acceptable, allowable, legitimate, acceptable, allowable, legit, legitimate, leveful

  2. uncommonpermissive

    Japanese zoning is specified at a national level, and while local governments do have some control over their local developments, the end result is a zoning code that is very permissible compared to most other countries.

    2024 July 14, Jason Slaughter, “The Secret to Japan's Great Cities” (2:27 from the start), in Not Just Bikes
    1 more example

    As regards the incorporation of anglicisms and despite the efforts of the Real Academia Española (an official regulatory body which aims at the purity of the language), Spanish has usually been considered a rather permissible language.

    2016 December, Marisa Diez-Arroyo, “Vagueness: A loanword’s good friend. The case of ‘Print’ in Spanish fashion”, in Pragmatics, page 609

    Synonyms: lax, lenient, clement, easygoing, forbearing, indulgent, lax, lenient

nounpermissible (plural permissibles)

plural permissibles

  1. businessAny tool or device permitted for use in potentially explosive mine environments.

Synonyms & antonyms

More synonyms by meaning

adjectivethat may be permitted especially as according to rule

Similar

adjectivethat may be accepted or conceded

Similar

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Medieval Latinpermissibilis
  2. Old Frenchpermissible
  3. Middle Englishpermyssyble
  4. Englishpermissible

From Middle English permyssyble, from Old French permissible, from Medieval Latin permissibilis.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic جَائِز
  • جَائِز (jāʔiz)that is permitted
Bengali হালাল, অনুমোদনযোগ্য
  • হালাল (halal/onumōdnojōggo)that is permitted
  • অনুমোদনযোগ্য (halal/onumōdnojōggo)that is permitted
Bulgarian позволен
  • позволен (pozvolen)that is permitted
Esperanto permesebla
  • permeseblathat is permitted
Finnish sallittu
  • sallittuthat is permitted
German zulässig
  • zulässigthat is permitted
Hindi स्वीकार्य
  • स्वीकार्य (svīkārya)that is permitted
Italian permesso
  • permessothat is permitted
Latin licitus
  • licitusthat is permitted
Polish dozwolony
  • dozwolonythat is permitted
Romanian admisibil, permisibil
  • admisibilthat is permitted
  • permisibilthat is permitted
Swahili halali
  • halalithat is permitted

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

permissible. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/permissible

MLA

“permissible.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/permissible. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “permissible,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/permissible.

Source: permissible on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.