Word
drinkable
Phoneticsdrink·able
US/ˈdɹɪnkəbəɫ/
UK/dɹˈɪŋkəbəl/
Definition
adj. safe to drink, or pleasant to drink. You use it for water, wine, or other liquids that taste okay and will not make you sick.
adj. safe for human consumption as a beverage, or sufficiently pleasant in taste to be consumed with ease. Often modified by degree adverbs such as 'perfectly' or 'barely'.
Examples
“This water is clean and drinkable.”
“After the filter is fixed, the tap water is drinkable again.”
“Although the cheap red was far from fine, it remained light and drinkable enough to suit a long summer lunch.”
Examples
simple
“This water is clean and drinkable.”
contextual
“After the filter is fixed, the tap water is drinkable again.”
complex
“Although the cheap red was far from fine, it remained light and drinkable enough to suit a long summer lunch.”
Usage
Used both predicatively after 'be' and attributively before nouns such as 'water'.
Real-World Examples
“The Hamilton Beach Smoothie Start is designed for drinks and it can easily turn some fruit, yogurt and ice into a drinkable breakfast.” “The Water Research Centre consultancy estimated in February that centres in England currently use about 1.9bn litres of drinkable water a year – around 0.2% of the non-household market.” “The Terra Kaffe TK-02 was more than drinkable but also oddly forgettable, producing weaker flavors and lackluster milk.” “Results from the stainless steel Ilsa Turbo Express were drinkable, if somewhat hollow and flat, and brews from the Grosche Milano Red were the worst — watery and flavorless.” Etymology
From Middle English drinkable, drynkeable, equivalent to drink + -able.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Related words
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- B1 · Intermediate
- Updated
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