preferable

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Canada, US, UK/ˈpɹɛf.(ə.)ɹə.b(ə)l/Australia/ˈpɹef.(ə.)ɹə.b(ə)l/New Zealand/ˈpɹef.ɹə.b(ə)l//pɹəˈfɜː.ɹə.b(ə)l/

adjective

Better than some other option; preferred.

Less commonScrabble 17

Meanings

adjectivepreferable (comparative more preferable, superlative most preferable)

comparative more preferable · superlative most preferable · alternative archaic præferable · alternative preferrable

  1. Better than some other option; preferred.

    While adopting the pronoun as a nonbinary description is vastly preferable for some, Merriam-Webster says, there has also been some debate that it is ungrammatical.

    2019 September 17, Kendall Trammell, “Merriam-Webster adds the nonbinary pronoun ‘they’ to its dictionary”, in CNN
    3 more examples

    This work has been the care and ſtudy of ſome years; as far as health, and other affairs, would permit. For, this appeared, to the author, of as much greater importance, than any other hiſtory whatever; as morality and religion are more excellent, than any temporal affairs; and the hiſtory of true religion, præferrable to that of impoſtures and deluſions.

    1756, George Benson, “The Præface. To the First Edition.”, in The History of the First Planting of the Christian Religion: Taken from the Acts of the Apostles, and Their Epistles. Together with the Remarkable Facts of the Jewish and Roman History; Which Affected the Christians, Within This Period., the second edition, volume the first, London: […] J. Waugh and W. Fenner, page v

    It is not to the point that an inequality of material goods, at high levels, may not be preferable to an equality of material goods at a lower level, precisely for such reasons as self-respect.

    2007, Ted Honderich, On political means and social ends, →ISBN, page 94

    If you’re looking for the most breathable mask, Lukovics says, “Cotton is preferable, mainly for absorbing moisture/sweat.” She says multiple layers may be more protective but will also impact breathability.

    2021 August 17, Elizabeth Wallace and Kai Burkhardt, “12 breathable face masks to protect you while exercising”, in CNN

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectivemore desirable than another

Also see

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Middle Frenchpreferable
  2. Englishpreferable

From prefer + -able, probably after Middle French preferable. Compare preference, preferential, etc.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic مُفَضَّل, أَفْضَل
  • مُفَضَّل (mufaḍḍal)better than some other option
  • أَفْضَل (ʔafḍal)better than some other option
Bulgarian предпочи́тан
  • предпочи́тан (predpočítan)better than some other option
Catalan preferible
  • preferiblebetter than some other option
Chinese Mandarin 更合意的, 更適宜的 /更适宜的
  • 更合意的 (gèng héyì de)better than some other option
  • 更適宜的 /更适宜的 (gèng shìyí de)better than some other option
  • 更可取的 (gèng kěqǔ de)better than some other option
  • 較好 /较好better than some other option
  • 较好的 (jiàohǎo de)better than some other option
  • 更好的 (gèng hǎo de)better than some other option
Czech výhodnější
  • výhodnějšíbetter than some other option
Dutch verkieslijk, preferabel
  • verkieslijkbetter than some other option
  • preferabelbetter than some other option
Finnish parempi
  • parempibetter than some other option
French préférable
  • préférablebetter than some other option
German bevorzugt
  • bevorzugtbetter than some other option
Greek προτιμητέος
  • προτιμητέος (protimitéos)better than some other option
Italian preferibile
  • preferibilebetter than some other option
Japanese ましな, 〜より好ましい
  • ましな (mashi na)better than some other option
  • 〜より好ましい (-yori konomashii)better than some other option
Korean 더 좋다
  • 더 좋다 (deo jota)better than some other option
Latin potior
  • potiorbetter than some other option
Polish lepszy, odpowiedniejszy
  • lepszybetter than some other option
  • odpowiedniejszybetter than some other option
  • bardziej odpowiednibetter than some other option
Portuguese preferível
  • preferívelbetter than some other option
Romanian preferabil
  • preferabilbetter than some other option
Russian предпочти́тельный, наилу́чший
  • предпочти́тельный (predpočtítelʹnyj)better than some other option
  • наилу́чший (nailúčšij)better than some other option
  • лу́чший (lúčšij)better than some other option
Slovak výhodnejší
  • výhodnejšíbetter than some other option
Spanish preferible
  • preferiblebetter than some other option
Ukrainian кра́щий, найкра́щий
  • кра́щий (kráščyj)better than some other option
  • найкра́щий (najkráščyj)better than some other option
  • найлі́пший (najlípšyj)better than some other option
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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