Passable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having a quality that is just good enough to be considered acceptable ; capable of being traversed or crossed without difficulty
2. Describing something that meets a minimum standard but is not excellent ; suitable for travel or passage
3. Referring to something sufficiently adequate though not outstanding ; allowing movement or progress through an area

Etymology: Passable is a straightforward formation: it comes from French "passable," which is built from "passer" (to pass) and the suffix "-able," meaning capable of being done or undergone. So the word is literally "able to be passed," the same logic that gives "readable" or "drinkable." The sense that matters most for modern readers, "adequate but not excellent," grew out of the older idea of passage. Something "passable" was once something you could get through, such as a road, river or ford that could be crossed. From there the meaning stretched from physical traversal to acceptability: a performance or a meal that you could get through without complaint, but nothing more. The word has kept both senses, so a river can be passable and so can a student's essay.

Synonyms: tolerable, acceptable

Antonyms: unacceptable, poor