English Reference
Adjective

suitable

adj.
B1 Intermediate Oxford US /ˈsutəbəɫ/ UK /sˈuːtəbəl/ suit·able

adj.right or appropriate for a particular person, purpose, or situation. You use this when something fits the needs of the moment.

adj.right or appropriate for a particular person, purpose, or situation; meeting the required standards or conditions for a specific use.


SIMPLE

This movie is not suitable for young children.

CONTEXTUAL

The candidate has the right experience, but we need to decide if her personality is suitable for our team culture.

COMPLEX

Finding a suitable location for the new laboratory required balancing the need for high-speed internet access with the necessity of a vibration-free environment far from heavy traffic.

Usage

Commonly followed by the preposition 'for' or an infinitive 'to' phrase.

Pitfall
This is suitable to children.This is suitable for children.

When indicating the intended recipient or audience, use 'for' rather than 'to'.

Usage concurrent suitable · particularly suitable · suitable for


From suit + -able.

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

This entry
Level B1 · Intermediate
Frequency Common
Updated