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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

debatable en · ADJ

Pronunciation

  • (Southern-England) audio
  • [dɪˈbeɪtəbəɫ] (UK)

Etymology

From Old French debatable (French débattable), equivalent to debate + -able.

Meanings

  1. Open to debate; not fully proved or confirmed.
    • There’s been a change in President Donald Trump. He used to say he had accomplished more than any other President, a debatable claim. But now he’s using messianic language about himself. 2019 August 21, Zachary B. Wolf, “Trump is either trolling everyone or thinks he’s like a god”, in CNN:
    • While the SCP universe is, of course, filled with things that we would certainly not consider "real", most of the SCPs are tangible or perceivable in some way. There are those concepts, however, whose reality is debatable, even to the SCP Foundation, begging them to ask the question of what, exactly, is real. 2019 January 7, “Exploring the SCP Foundation: Pattern Screamers” (0:11 from the start), in The Exploring Series, archived from the original on 11 Jan 2023:
    • Those data are debatable: no one has been able to replicate them.
    • It's debatable whether he is the best candidate for the position.
  2. Able to be debated; up for discussion.
    • The lack of bonuses this year is not debatable.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
debateable alternative lexicographic
more debatable Degree=Cmp lexicographic
most debatable Degree=Sup lexicographic

Deriveds

undebatable · undebatably · debatably · debatableness · nondebatable

Translations (33)

gl discutible (controversial) · ca discutible (controversial) · ro discutabil (controversial) · pt debatível (controversial) · fr discutable (controversial) · gv yn-arganey (controversial) · la contrōversus (controversial) · sk diskutabilný (controversial) · fr débattable (controversial) · az mübahisəli (controversial) · de fraglich (controversial) · de umstritten (controversial) · pt discutível (controversial) · it discutibile (controversial) · ru спо́рный (controversial) · bg спо́рен (controversial) · be спо́рны (controversial) · cmn 有爭議 /有争议 (controversial) · ru дискуссио́нный (controversial) · gl discutíbel (controversial) · cy dadleuol (controversial) · nl discutabel (controversial) · nl betwistbaar (controversial) · es debatible (controversial) · uk спі́рний (controversial) · bg дискусио́нен (controversial) · it opinabile (controversial) · fi epävarma (controversial) · pl sporny (controversial) · fi kyseenalainen (controversial) · cs diskutabilní (controversial) · de strittig (controversial) · el συζητήσιμος (controversial)

debatable en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • (Southern-England) audio
  • [dɪˈbeɪtəbəɫ] (UK)

Etymology

From Old French debatable (French débattable), equivalent to debate + -able.

Meanings

  1. A topic that is open to debate.
    • Just how many glaucoma patients there are in the United States and just how prevalent is the disease are two unknowns or at least two debatables. 1988, Ray Barr, 1,001 medical facts for every home, page 314:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
debateable alternative lexicographic
debatables Number=Plur lexicographic