Outperformable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Capable of being surpassed in performance or effectiveness compared to others; able to be outdone in quality or success; susceptible to being exceeded in achievement
2. Having the quality that allows one to be bettered or excelled in ability, results, or efficiency by competitors; not unbeatable in accomplishment or output; vulnerable to superior performance by others
3. Describing something or someone that can be outmatched in skill, output, or success; liable to be bested by a rival or alternative; possessing potential to be overtaken in effectiveness or results

Etymology: "Outperformable" is built in a plain, transparent way: the verb "outperform" (to perform better than someone or something) plus the suffix "-able," which marks capacity or susceptibility, so the adjective means "capable of being outperformed." The verb itself is an English formation, with "out-" meaning "beyond, surpassing" attached to "perform," a word borrowed in the 1400s from Anglo-French "parfourmer" and ultimately from Old French "parfournir," meaning "to complete fully." The prefix "out-" was used productively in English to build verbs such as "outrun," "outdo," and "outwork," and "outperform" follows that pattern, appearing in print in the 20th century, mainly in business, sport, and technology writing. The suffix "-able" comes from Latin "-abilis," and it has been attached to English verbs since Middle English, with a sense of "able to be" that sometimes shifts toward "liable to be." That shift is useful here, because "outperformable" can describe both a capacity (something that can be bettered) and a vulnerability (something that is likely to be bettered by competitors).

Synonyms: surpassable, exceedable

Antonyms: unbeatable, unsurpassable, unexceedable