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debatable

debatable

34 5.0
Open to question or discussion
  • adjective
  • /dɪˈbeɪtəbl/
translation icon : discutible
  • Many people find it debatable whether climate change is primarily driven by human activities.
  • debatable issue
  • remain debatable
  • highly debatable

For one thing, it's debatable when work really starts.

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Examples

  • This is an important concept and it's a highly debatable concept that is often defined by both subjective and and quantitative metrics.

  • Whether there is harm in having a pessimistic attitude about the future is debatable.

    Academic text (1998)
  • For one thing, it's debatable when work really starts.

  • So it's debatable as to who launched it first.

  • Who exactly is served, how, and how much are debatable matters.

    Academic text (1994)
  • The former observation is debatable, but the latter is not.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Whether we ought to have such a canon is debatable.

    Academic text (2017)
  • However, the mechanisms by which lumbar supports might influence low back problems remain debatable.

    Academic text (2000)
  • Although their appropriateness may be debatable, anthropomorphism and personification have been present in education for many years.

    Academic text (1997)
  • It's debatable whether online learning is as effective as traditional classroom instruction.

Synonyms

moot
vsdebatable
23 7.4

Open to argument or disagreement

is open to question without being decided or settled
arguable
vsdebatable
12 6.0

Open to doubt or debate because it may not be true

is open to question but not necessarily provable or disproved
disputable
vsdebatable
2 6.6

Open to argument or doubt

is a general unsettled matter rather than a proven one
contestable
vsdebatable
1 6.8

Can be argued against or shown to be wrong

is unsettled and available for discussion not settled as fact
controvertible
vsdebatable
  • Formal
8.3

People can argue about it or show it is wrong

is open for debate but not yet disproven or accepted
dubitable
vsdebatable
  • Formal
9.9

Not clearly true or certain

is open to discussion but may not imply serious doubt
disputed
vsdebatable
4.1

Not accepted as true by some people

is open to question rather than already widely argued over
contested
vsdebatable
5.3

Not accepted as final because people argue or compete over it

is simply open to question and not necessarily under active challenge

Antonyms

946 1.0

Sure to happen or be true

3.4

Decided so there is no more doubt or argument

How Certain

certain
946 1.0
likely
1.0
uncertain
149 2.8
debatable
34 5.0
undetermined
20 4.6

Surface Forms

debatable positive
debatably positive

Morphology

debatable = debate (transparent) = debate + able

Built by the productive suffix '-able' on the known word 'debate', meaning 'capable of being debated' or 'open to debate'.

Etymology

Debatable comes from the word debate, which means to argue or discuss, and the ending -able, which means 'can be'. So something debatable is 'open to question' or 'can be argued', which explains its modern meaning.