Fromprefer +-able, probably afterMiddle Frenchpreferable.[1] Comparepreference, preferential, etc.
- IPA(key): /ˈpɹɛf(ə)ɹəb(ə)l/
- IPA(key): /pɹəˈfɜːɹəb(ə)l/(less common)
preferable (comparativemorepreferable,superlativemostpreferable)
- Better than some other option;preferred.
1756,George Benson, “The Præface. To the First Edition.”, inThe History of the First Planting of the Christian Religion: Taken from the Acts of the Apostles, and Their Epistles. Together with the Remarkable Facts of the Jewish and Roman History; Which Affected the Christians, Within This Period., the second edition, volume the first, London: […] J. Waugh and W. Fenner, page v:This work has been the care and ſtudy of ſome years; as far as health, and other affairs, would permit. For, this appeared, to the author, of as much greater importance, thanany other hiſtory whatever; asmorality andreligion are more excellent, than anytemporal affairs; and thehiſtory oftrue religion,præferrable to that ofimpoſtures and deluſions.
2007, Ted Honderich,On political means and social ends,→ISBN, page94:It is not to the point that an inequality of material goods, at high levels, may not bepreferable to an equality of material goods at a lower level, precisely for such reasons as self-respect.
2019 September 17, Kendall Trammell, “Merriam-Webster adds the nonbinary pronoun ‘they’ to its dictionary”, inCNN[1]:While adopting the pronoun as a nonbinary description is vastlypreferable for some, Merriam-Webster says, there has also been some debate that it is ungrammatical.
2021 August 17, Elizabeth Wallace and Kai Burkhardt, “12 breathable face masks to protect you while exercising”, inCNN[2]:If you’re looking for the most breathable mask, Lukovics says, “Cotton ispreferable, mainly for absorbing moisture/sweat.” She says multiple layers may be more protective but will also impact breathability.
better than some other option
- Arabic:مُفَضَّل(mufaḍḍal),أَفْضَل(ʔafḍal)
- Belarusian:найле́пшы(najljépšy),ле́пшы(ljépšy)
- Bulgarian:предпочи́тан (bg)(predpočítan)
- Catalan:preferible
- Chinese:
- Mandarin:更合意的(gèng héyì de),更適宜的 /更适宜的(gèng shìyí de),更可取的(gèng kěqǔ de),較好 /较好,较好的(jiàohǎo de),更好的(gèng hǎo de)
- Czech:výhodnější (cs)
- Finnish:parempi (fi)
- French:préférable (fr)
- Georgian:უმჯობესი(umǯobesi),უპირატესი(uṗiraṭesi)
- German:bevorzugt (de)
- Greek:προτιμητέος (el)(protimitéos)
- Italian:preferibile (it)
- Japanese:ましな (ja)(mashi na),〜より好ましい (ja)(～よりこのましい, -yori konomashii)
- Korean:더좋다(deo jota)
- Latin:potior
- Macedonian:претпочитлив(pretpočitliv)
- Norman:préféthabl'ye
- Polish:lepszy (pl),odpowiedniejszy,bardziejodpowiedni
- Portuguese:preferível
- Romanian:preferabil (ro)
- Russian:предпочти́тельный (ru)(predpočtítelʹnyj),наилу́чший (ru)(nailúčšij),лу́чший (ru)(lúčšij)
- Sanskrit:श्रेयस् (sa)(śreyas)
- Slovak:výhodnejší
- Spanish:preferible
- Ukrainian:кра́щий(kráščyj),найкра́щий(najkráščyj),найлі́пший(najlípšyj)
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, Oxford:Oxford University Press, launched 2000.