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Glite Dictionary
steerable

steerable

1 4.6
Easy to guide along a path
  • adjective
  • /ˈstɪrəbəl/
translation icon : dirigible
  • He realized that if he had a super telescope with an aperture as large as 1 mile across and fully steerable, as the Earth rotated, he could orient the telescope to observe a radio source from all angles until he finally derived a detailed map of the structure.
  • fully steerable
  • steerable dish
  • largest steerable

And it's that your cravings are highly steerable.

Examples

  • Each of these telescopes is a fully steerable parabolic antenna that focuses the energy received to electronic receivers via tuned feed horns.

    Academic text (2000)

  • The free bus ride through the observatory takes visitors past the internationally renowned Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT), the largest fully steerable radio telescope in the world.

    Academic text (2004)

  • The bus was hardly steerable.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Larger telescopes have been built, but they are not fully steerable.

    Academic text (1996)

  • More than 20 years after its construction, Effelsberg is still the king of steerable dishes.

    Academic text (1996)

  • For many years, his great 250-foot Mark I telescope was the largest steerable dish in the world.

    Academic text (1991)

  • With a diameter of 64 meters, it is the largest (almost) fully steerable antenna in the Southern Hemisphere.

    Academic text (1996)

  • The 100-meter radio telescope near Effelsberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, is the world's largest fully steerable dish.

    Academic text (1996)

  • Steerable motor assemblies (SMAs) react in essentially real time to the MWD signals and allow course adjustments to keep on target.

    Academic text (1991)

  • The new model of the drone features a steerable camera that allows users to adjust the angle during flight.

Synonyms

maneuverable
vssteerable
  • US
6 6.2

Easy to move and turn in tight spaces

is about being guided along a specific course rather than ease of movement
directable
vssteerable
1 5.6

Able to be guided by a person or machine

emphasizes being able to follow a specific course or path
dirigible
vssteerable
8.6

Able to be steered or guided

focuses on following a particular course or path rather than general direction
handleable
vssteerable
3.8

Easy to control, like a car or a dog

focuses on following a particular course rather than general control

Antonyms

unmaneuverable
  • US
7.5

Hard to move or steer

How Steerable

agile
23 3.7
maneuverable
  • US
6 6.2
steerable
1 4.6

Surface Forms

steerable positive

Morphology

steerable = steer (transparent) = steer + able

Standard adjectival formation from the verb 'steer' with the productive suffix '-able', yielding 'capable of being steered'.

Etymology

Steerable comes from the verb steer, which means 'to guide' or 'turn', and the ending -able, which means 'can be'. Think of a 'steering wheel' that helps you control a car, so 'steer' means to control direction. So something steerable is 'able to be guided' along a course.