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audible

audible

43 3.5
Loud enough for people to hear
  • adjective
  • /ˈɔːdɪbəl/
translation icon : audible
  • Even from the back of the room, her laughter was easily audible.
  • barely audible
  • clearly audible
  • an audible voice

The fans are certainly audible, but not distracting at all.

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Examples

  • The fans are certainly audible, but not distracting at all.

  • I entered the third grade and do not remember speaking one audible word in class that year.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • I feel like it's important that sound is very, very audible and clean.

  • For the first time in a year and a half, Mary used an audible voice in class.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Finally, Wendy spoke in a barely audible whisper: "Are you sure you heard a door?"

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Frank, watching Rachel, hears the barely audible clicking start from the tiny receiver on his belt.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Again the yip came, barely audible over the howling of the wind.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The high-pitched buzzes emitted by these workers are audible a few yards away.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Deep sighs and muffled bursts of awkward laughter are audible as the teachers read.

    Academic text (1998)
  • The faint twittering of birds could be heard, and the barely audible rustle of a playful breeze.

    Fiction book (1992)

Synonyms

perceptible
vsaudible
8 5.4

Able to be seen, heard, or noticed

is specific to being heard rather than sensed visually or mentally
hearable
vsaudible
1 4.8

Can be heard

is louder, specifying enough volume to be perceived by the ear
auditable
vsaudible
  • Archaic
4.8

Able to be heard, for example a voice or sound

is louder, referring to volume high enough to be noticed by the ear
pronounced
vsaudible
4.1

Very easy to notice because it is strong

is noticeable due to sufficient loudness rather than strong emphasis

Antonyms

274 5.6

So quiet that you cannot hear it

Idioms

4 7.9

Change plans quickly at the last minute when something goes wrong

How Loud

deafening
9 3.5
loud
733 1.0
audible
43 3.5
faint
148 2.7
inaudible
274 5.6

Surface Forms

audible positive
audibler comparative
audiblest superlative

Morphology

audible = audio (transparent) = aud + ible

The meaning 'able to be heard' follows directly from the Latin combining form aud- (seen in English in 'audio') plus the productive adjectival suffix '-ible', so learners familiar with 'audio' or 'hear' and '-able/-ible' can derive the sense.

Etymology

Audible comes from the Latin verb audire 'to hear' and the ending -ible meaning 'able'. Like audio and audience, it is about hearing, so audible means 'able to be heard'.