What does corrigible mean?
Corrigible is a formal adjective meaning capable of being corrected, amended, or reformed. It applies both to things that can be put right, such as an error in a manuscript or a defect in a system, and to people whose character or conduct can be improved through guidance or discipline. The word derives from the Latin corrigere, 'to correct', via the adjective-forming suffix -ible, and entered English around the early seventeenth century. Although it is grammatically the base form, corrigible is far less frequently encountered than its negative counterpart incorrigible, which describes someone beyond reform. As a result, using corrigible correctly signals precision: where incorrigible condemns, corrigible offers hope. It is found chiefly in scholarly, legal, and editorial contexts, and it pairs naturally with nouns such as fault, error, flaw, and offender. For writers seeking an exact, dignified term for remediable shortcomings, corrigible remains a precise and useful choice.
adjectiveCapable of being corrected, reformed, or set right; used especially of faults, errors, or a person's character or behaviour.
- (of faults, errors, or mistakes) able to be corrected or put right.
- (of a person, especially a child or offender) capable of being reformed or improved in character or behaviour.
"The judge regarded the young offender as corrigible rather than hardened."
"Fortunately, the accounting error was corrigible before the report went to print."
"Her teachers believed the boy was corrigible if given patient guidance rather than punishment."
Corrigible lives almost entirely in the shadow of its famous opposite — most people meet 'incorrigible' first and never realize the polite, hopeful word underneath it exists.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of corrigible
Corrigible comes from the Latin verb corrigere, meaning 'to correct' or 'to set right', formed from com- ('together, thoroughly') plus regere ('to rule, guide straight'). It passed into English in the early seventeenth century through the Latin-derived suffix -ible, indicating capability. The same root gives English correction, correct, and corrigendum, as well as related words such as regent and regime through regere.
Related word forms
How corrigible is actually used
Corrigible is formal and relatively rare in everyday speech; it appears mostly in academic, legal, editorial, and psychological writing. It carries a hopeful, charitable connotation — implying that improvement is possible — which contrasts sharply with the far more common negative form 'incorrigible'.
Easily confused with corrigible
Incorrigible means the exact opposite — not capable of being corrected or reformed.
Collectible refers to an item worth collecting; it shares only the '-ible' ending with corrigible and has no connection in meaning.