debatablede‧bat‧a‧ble /dɪˈbeɪtəbəl/ AWL adjective 
a debatable pointit is debatable whether/how etc It’s debatable whether this book is as good as her last. Whether the object was used for rituals is highly debatable.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- It is debatable whether nuclear weapons actually prevent war.
- It is debatable whether these alternative medical treatments actually work.
- Whether or not the government was right to arrest the protesters is an extremely debatable point.
- How far is it reasonable to extrapolate these results to the non-poor is a highly debatable point.
- How much of this is based on migration of workers from other states is debatable.
- How such a venture was ever worthwhile is debatable for it had the disadvantage of the steep climb from the pavement.
- It is an inherently debatable and changeable idea.
- The claim that aid is the answer to Third World poverty is then highly debatable.
- Which of these are deliberate displays is sometimes debatable, but horses certainly act on them.
THESAURUS
causing a lot of disagreement and angry argument, especially in the newspapers, on television etc: · Abortion is a controversial subject.· The film was highly controversial at the time.
formal likely to cause a lot of disagreement and argument: · the contentious issue of immigration· These claims are highly contentious.
used when you think that something is not certain and that people have different opinions about it, especially in the phrase it is debatable/arguable whether: · It is debatable whether this book is as good as her previous novel.· It is arguable whether these measures will reduce the overall cost.· Does the treatment work? I think that’s debatable.
used when you think that something is not certain and that people have different opinions about it – a rather formal phrase: · Whether this proposal will really reduce crime is a moot point.
Longman Language Activatorwhen there are several different opinions about something: it is debatable whether · It is debatable whether these alternative medical treatments actually work.a debatable point · Whether or not the government was right to arrest the protesters is an extremely debatable point.
something that is questionable seems doubtful and is likely to be wrong or untrue: · The conclusions of the survey are questionable because the research was based on a very small sample of people.it is questionable whether: · It is questionable whether the advertisements will increase sales.
something that is open to question or open to debate seems doubtful and needs to be checked or discussed: · Many people feel that the safety of the drug is now open to question.· Just why the guerrillas decided to shoot down the unarmed plane remains open to debate.it is open to question/debate whether: · It is open to debate whether the new government is any better than the old one.
something that different people have different opinions about: · I'm not sure that bringing in computers has made our job easier. It's a moot point.· Whether or not increasing taxes will result in a fairer society remains a moot point.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY a debatable point It’s debatable whether this book is as good as her last. Whether the object was used for rituals is highly debatable.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
things that are debatable are not certain because people have different opinions about them SYN arguable: a debatable point It’s debatable whether this book is as good as her last. Whether the object was used for rituals is highly debatable.· How far is it reasonable to extrapolate these results to the non-poor is a highly debatable point.· The claim that aid is the answer to Third World poverty is then highly debatable.· As I have already suggested, this interpretation of what Britain signed up to is highly debatable.· Whether such a ferret fatality can be attributed to it remaining unmated is highly debatable.
NOUN· How far is it reasonable to extrapolate these results to the non-poor is a highly debatable point.· Which is the oldest of these is a debatable point, obviously Court Farm must be reckoned if my theory is correct.
a debatable pointit is debatable whether/how etc It’s debatable whether this book is as good as her last. Whether the object was used for rituals is highly debatable.- country cousin
- country dancing
- country house
- Country Life
- countryman
- country music
- country seat
- countryside
- Countryside Alliance
- Countryside Commission
- countrywide
- countrywoman
- county
- county council
- county court
- county fair
- county town
- coup
- coup de grâce
- coup d'état
- Couper, Heather
- couple
- couplet
- coupling
- coupon