debatable

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

Also spelled debateable

US /dɪˈbeɪtəbəl/ UK /dɪˈbeɪtəbəl/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
open to question or dispute; uncertain

Whether the policy helped is highly debatable.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · open to question or... disputable questionable arguablecontestablecontroversial moot uncertain contentious

Opposites

indisputable certain undeniable unquestionable settled

Word family

Derived forms debatably

Related forms debate

Etymology

From debate plus the suffix -able. Debate is from Old French debatre ('to fight, contend'), from Latin de- ('completely') plus battuere ('to beat, fight').

debatre Old French battuere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# debatable

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /dɪˈbeɪtəbəl/
**IPA (UK):** /dɪˈbeɪtəbəl/

## Meanings
1. open to question or dispute; uncertain

## Examples
- Whether the policy helped is highly debatable.

## Synonyms
- disputable
- questionable
- arguable
- contestable
- controversial
- moot
- uncertain
- contentious

## Antonyms
- indisputable
- certain
- undeniable
- unquestionable
- settled

## Derived Forms
- debatably

## Related Forms
- debate

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: debatre
- Root: battuere

## Etymology
From debate plus the suffix -able. Debate is from Old French debatre ('to fight, contend'), from Latin de- ('completely') plus battuere ('to beat, fight').

## AI Etymology
Debatable is from debate plus the suffix -able. Debate is from Old French debatre ('to fight, contend'), from Latin de- ('completely') plus battuere ('to beat, fight'). Important recorded forms include debatre (Old French) and battuere (Latin). Morphologically, the word is a built form whose named elements carry part of the historical sense. The current sense covers open to question or dispute; uncertain. The wider family includes derived forms such as debatably and related words such as debate.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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