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Glite Dictionary
effable

effable

8.4
Can be expressed in words
  • adjective
  • /ˈɛfəbəl/
translation icon : expresable
  • The artist found her emotions effable through her paintings, capturing feelings that words alone could not express.

Hello and welcome to the Most Effable Food Mascots.

Examples

  • In this music course, those who deny the ineffable are, most definitely, effable!" A round of groans grew into general tittering.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • The entire structure, the "monument," is Gothic, and the "antique element" is not granted an effable or visible material presence.

    Academic text (1998)

  • As opposed to you, who is very effable, if you catch my drift.

    Blog text (27)

  • Hello and welcome to the Most Effable Food Mascots.

    Smosh Pit

  • But don't then try to tell me that your creation is an ineffable work of genius followed by 500 words describing why it's actually effable.

    Blog text (15)

  • ♪ ♪ Her mind is engaged In a rapt contemplation ♪ ♪ Of the thought ♪ ♪ Of the thought ♪ ♪ Of the thought ♪ ♪ Of her name ♪ ♪ Her ineffable, effable, effanineffable ♪ ♪ Deep and inscrutable ♪ ♪ Singular name, name, name, name ♪ ♪ Name, name, name, name ♪ ♪ Name, name, name, name

    Cats (2019)

  • The beauty of the sunset was so effable that everyone fell silent, captivated by its colors.

  • He explained the complex theory in such an effable way that even beginners could understand.

Synonyms

definable
vseffable
6 3.7

A thing you can describe clearly or show its clear limits

is about being expressible in words without stressing definition or limits
describable
vseffable
1 2.7

Able to be put into words

focuses on the same ability to be put into words
articulable
vseffable
1 7.7

Easy to put into words or explain clearly

is the general ability to be expressed in words rather than clarity
specifiable
vseffable
1 7.0

Able to be described clearly and in detail

is the broader ability to be put into words, not only detailed specification
expressible
vseffable
1 5.3

Able to be put into words or shown by actions

is limited to being expressed specifically in words rather than other means
sayable
vseffable
5.8

Possible to put into words and speak

covers expression in words more generally, not only speech

Antonyms

ineffable
  • Formal
8 9.5

So great that words cannot describe it

How Expressible

effable
8.4

Surface Forms

effable positive

Morphology

effable = eff + able

Although the suffix '-able' is productive, the root 'eff' is not a standalone English morpheme and the word is rare, so an average learner cannot reliably derive the meaning from its parts.

Etymology

Effable comes from old Latin parts ex- 'out' and fari 'to speak', so it originally meant 'able to be spoken out'. You can see the same root in the word fable 'a short story', so effable is something you can put into words.