Debatability

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality of being open to discussion or argument ; the state of having an uncertain or contestable truth or validity ; the condition of allowing different viewpoints or interpretations
2. The characteristic of something that can be questioned or disputed ; the aspect of possessing a doubtful or arguable nature ; the attribute of being subject to differing opinions or analyses
3. The condition in which an issue invites examination and opposing arguments ; the property of possessing unclear or contested facts or conclusions ; the feature of enabling diverse or conflicting perspectives to emerge

Etymology: "Debatability" is built from "debate" and the suffix "-ability," which turns an adjective into a noun meaning "the quality of being able to be" the thing described. Here, that means "debatable," so the word names the quality of being open to argument. The base "debate" entered English from Old French "debatre," meaning to fight or strive against, and its sense of formal discussion came later. So the word carries a faint trace of combat in its ancestry, even though its modern use is almost entirely about ideas. The meaning has spread in a way that suits the suffix. The word can describe a question where reasonable people disagree, a claim whose facts are unsettled, or a topic that invites several competing perspectives. Each of these senses comes from the same idea: the thing in question is one that can be argued over.

Synonyms: disputability, arguability, questionability

Antonyms: certainty, undisputability, incontrovertibility