acceptable

/əkˈsɛptəbəl/

Say it: ak-SEP-tuh-bul

1. adjective Good enough to be tolerated or allowed; satisfactory.
While not his best work, the essay was acceptable and earned a passing grade.
2. adjective Meeting the minimum requirements for a particular purpose.
The water quality was deemed acceptable for swimming.
3. adjective Considered suitable or appropriate by most people; conventional.
It is no longer socially acceptable to smoke in restaurants.

📖 Seen in the wild

The quality of the work was acceptable, though not outstanding.
collected by @vocablast

✏️ acceptable in a sentence

The final offer from the company was mutually acceptable to both parties.
For this project, a 10% margin of error is within acceptable limits.
Is it acceptable to bring a guest to the wedding without an invitation?
The level of noise from the construction site was not acceptable to the residents.
He found an acceptable, if not ideal, solution to the problem.
The committee will only review proposals that meet an acceptable standard of quality.
Her apology, though brief, was acceptable.

🔁 Synonyms & antonyms

satisfactory adequate suitable passable tolerable permissible decent all right

satisfactory · implies that something meets all necessary requirements or conditions.

adequate · suggests being just enough for a specific purpose, sometimes barely so.

suitable · emphasizes being appropriate for a particular person, purpose, or situation.

passable · often used for performance or quality that is just good enough to avoid being bad.

Opposites: unacceptable, inadequate, unsatisfactory, unsuitable, intolerable

🌱 Where it comes from

The word acceptable traces back to the late 14th century from the Latin 'acceptabilis', meaning 'worthy of being accepted'. This itself comes from 'acceptare', which means 'to take willingly'. So, at its root, something acceptable is capable of being willingly received or taken.

🧩 How it's used

Common patterns:

mutually acceptablesocially acceptableperfectly acceptableacceptable level of riskfind an acceptable solutionacceptable standard

Be mindful of the connotation of 'acceptable'. While it can mean 'perfectly fine', it often implies that something meets only the minimum standard. If you describe someone's work as 'acceptable', they might interpret it as 'barely passing' rather than 'good'. It is a precise word for setting boundaries or in negotiations, as in 'That offer is not acceptable'.

Word family: accept, acceptance, acceptably, unacceptable

💬 Quick answers

What does acceptable mean?

Acceptable means that something is good enough to be allowed or approved of. It meets a minimum standard but is not necessarily excellent or ideal.

What is the difference between acceptable and satisfactory?

Acceptable often implies something is just barely good enough or permissible. Satisfactory more clearly suggests that all necessary requirements have been met, making it a slightly more positive term.

Is 'acceptable' a positive or negative word?

It's a neutral word that can lean slightly negative depending on context. Calling something 'acceptable' can be a polite way of saying it's adequate but not impressive.

What is the opposite of acceptable?

The most direct opposite is 'unacceptable'. Other antonyms include 'inadequate', 'unsatisfactory', and 'intolerable'.

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