What does allowable mean?
"Allowable" is an adjective meaning permitted or acceptable under a given set of rules, standards, or limits. It answers the question of whether something may be done, claimed, or tolerated within an established framework — a tax code, a sport's regulations, an engineering specification, or a contract. The word carries a formal, technical tone and appears most often in professional contexts: accountants speak of allowable expenses and allowable deductions, engineers of allowable loads and stresses, and regulators of allowable emissions levels. Its connotation is neutral and procedural rather than moral; something allowable need not be admirable, merely sanctioned. Derived from the verb "allow," it shares a root with "allowance" and ultimately descends from Latin laudare, "to praise." For readers navigating rules-based language, "allowable" is a precise and useful term for marking the boundary between what is permitted and what is not.
adjectivePermitted or acceptable according to a rule, law, or standard; that which may be allowed.
- Permitted or authorized under rules, laws, or regulations.
- Acceptable within specified limits or standards, as in amounts or deductions.
"The referee ruled that the tackle was not allowable under the rules of the game."
"Only allowable expenses may be claimed on your tax return."
"The bridge has an allowable load of ten tonnes."
Despite sounding like pure legalese, "allowable" traces back to Latin laudare — to praise — because medieval scribes thought approving of something and allowing it were much the same act.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of allowable
"Allowable" derives from the verb "allow," formed in Middle English from the Old French "alouer," itself from Medieval Latin "allaudare" — a blend of Latin "ad" (to) and "laudare" (to praise). In its earliest English sense, allowing meant to approve or commend, and only later did it come to mean permitting. The adjective "allowable" emerged in English around the early modern period, retaining both shades: approval and permission. It shares this Latin praise-root with cognates such as "laudable" and "applaud."
Related word forms
How allowable is actually used
Mostly formal or technical in register, common in accounting, tax, engineering, and legal contexts; rare in casual conversation.
Easily confused with allowable
"Aloud" means audibly or out loud, while "allowable" means permitted by rules or standards.