🔧 Able to shape 🔤 Able to change form

formable

4.8

Can be changed into other word forms like past tense or comparative

adjective
/ˈfɔrməbl/

Specialized

: derivable

In English, the word 'happy' is formable into 'happier' and 'happiest.'

Examples

The adjective is formable into a comparative and superlative in this language.
In certain dialects, new verbs are highly formable from existing nouns.
Some words in English are not easily formable into other grammatical categories.
The concept of a formable noun is crucial in linguistics.
Many languages have formable verbs that change with tense.
The base verb can be formable into different tenses to express time.
Certain adjectives are formable in comparison to their base form.

Synonyms

derivable

vsformable

Specialized

1 6.8

You can find it from other information by thinking or working out

is about grammatical change such as inflection rather than inference

shapeable

vsformable

1 3.9

Something other people can easily change

is specific to grammatical change such as inflection rather than general influence

How Inflectable

inflectional

Specialized

1 8.2

formable

Specialized

4.8

invariable

2 5.5

Surface Forms

formable positive

Morphology

formable = form (semi-transparent) = form + able

Morphologically regular ('form' + '-able'), but the specific grammatical/linguistic sense is domain-specific and may not be obvious to non-specialists.

Etymology

Formable comes from the Latin forma 'shape' plus -able 'can be', the same root you see in form and formation. Imagine a word as soft clay that you can change into another shape; that's why formable means 'able to be given a particular form' in grammar.