acceptable
/əkˈsɛptəb(ə)l
/adjective
1Able to be agreed on; suitable: the electoral arrangements must be acceptable to the people...
- Internationally agreed criteria, acceptable to all, need to be developed.
- He was disappointed that the Company did not find a site that would have been suitable and acceptable to people in the area.
- The truth is that negotiations with the manager and his agent, Liam Gaskin, were extremely cordial as they have always been, and we arrived at a solution acceptable to all parties in a very short time.
1.1Moderately good; satisfactory: an acceptable substitute for champagne...
- I'd think a postcard from the next city would be an acceptable substitute for a formal thank you note.
- Then, too, he is an acceptable moderator to the candidates because he's firmly predictable.
- I found their arguments reasonable and a moderately acceptable update on the original book.
Synonyms
satisfactory, adequate, reasonable, quite good, fair, decent, good enough, sufficient, sufficiently good, fine, in order, up to scratch, up to the mark, up to standard, up to par, competent, not bad, all right, average, tolerable, passable, middling, moderate;
presentable;
suitable, convenient
informal OK, so-so, fair-to-middling
North American & Australian/New Zealand informal jake
1.2Pleasing; welcome: some coffee would be most acceptable...
- Mind you, that was back when a pack of three new handkerchiefs was a highly acceptable and very welcome gift for Christmas.
- Otherwise, this is a very acceptable print that should please all 248 gazillion fans.
- Tobacco and snuff were convenient and acceptable items, and more luxurious fare was provided when possible.
Synonyms
welcome, appreciated;
pleasing, agreeable, delightful, desirable, satisfying, gratifying, to one's liking
2Able to be tolerated or allowed: pollution in the city had reached four times the acceptable level...
- The problems stemmed from different standards of privacy and acceptable noise levels.
- We also know that the Dunedin City Council is budgeting $30 million, over the next 2 years, to get its water standards up to an acceptable level.
- The tests showed the levels were within the acceptable standards for the EU and New Zealand.
Synonyms
bearable, tolerable, allowable, admissible, supportable, sustainable, justifiable, defensible, defendable
Phrases
the acceptable face of ——
Derivatives
acceptableness
acceptably
/ adverb ...- We are reasonably experienced walkers, acceptably fit and have walked the route several times before.
- State-of-the-art care usually results in a high degree of successful control of asthma with acceptably safe and reasonably convenient therapy.
- Thus, while the dialogue is acceptably clear and suitably free of any distortion or noticeable hiss, the overall soundscape is subdued and hollow.
Origin
Late Middle English: from Old French, from late Latin acceptabilis, from acceptare (see accept).