English Reference
Adjective

dependable

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US /dɪˈpɛndəbəɫ/ UK /dɪpˈɛndəbəl/ de·pend·able

adj.reliable and steady. You can trust this person or thing to do what they are supposed to do every time.

adj.consistently reliable in performance or character. Often used to describe employees, machinery, or vehicles that function without failure.


SIMPLE

She is a dependable worker who never misses a deadline.

CONTEXTUAL

The old truck is not very fast, but it is dependable enough for short trips around the farm.

COMPLEX

In an era of volatile markets, investors often seek out dependable assets that provide modest but steady returns regardless of economic shifts.

Usage

Typically used both attributively before a noun and predicatively after linking verbs like 'be' or 'seem'.

The lakeshore offered fresh water, edible plants, animals for hunting, raw materials for tools, and a dependable source of firewood needed to maintain fires.

ScienceDaily· 15 Jul 2026

Offshore wind is more dependable but it involves large, site-specific engineering projects that cannot be replicated in the same way, and so have not seen the same sustained falls in cost.

BBC News· 15 Apr 2026

From depend + -able.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated