Attunable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Able to be altered or modified to meet diverse needs
2. Susceptible to adaptation in order to align with varying demands
3. Capable of being changed or fine-tuned to suit different situations or requirements

Etymology: "Attunable" is a plain English formation: the verb "attune," meaning to bring into harmony or make responsive, with the suffix "-able" attached, meaning capable of being attuned. The root verb has a musical origin, since "tune" comes from the same family as "tone," and to attune something is to bring it into accord, the way a piano string is adjusted to match a pitch. The suffix does the work here. "-able" is one of the most productive endings in English, taking a verb and producing an adjective meaning that the action can be done to something. A thing that is attunable is one that can be brought into line with another thing, so the word describes flexibility rather than fixed condition. Its meaning in this sense is therefore closer to "responsive to adjustment" than to any idea of music itself.

Synonyms: adjustable, configurable, modifiable, adaptable, tunable

Antonyms: fixed, permanent, rigid, inflexible, unalterable