What does exceptionable mean?
Exceptionable is a formal adjective describing something that is open to objection or legitimate criticism. When a remark, proposal, or passage is called exceptionable, the speaker means it merits complaint or disapproval — as in 'the committee found nothing exceptionable in the plan.' Despite its visual similarity to 'exceptional,' which signals excellence, the two words point in opposite directions: exceptionable flags a flaw rather than a distinction. It belongs chiefly to formal writing and speech — legal argument, editorial commentary, official reports — rather than casual conversation. A frequent source of error is confusion with 'unexceptionable,' which means exactly the opposite: faultless, beyond reproach. Derived from the Latin root behind 'except' and 'exception,' the word entered English in the early seventeenth century. Today it survives mainly in careful prose, where its precision is valued even though plainer synonyms like 'objectionable' are more common.
adjectiveOpen to objection; liable to be criticized or disapproved of.
- Liable to objection or criticism; open to being disapproved of.
"The committee found nothing exceptionable in the report's conclusions."
"Several members of the board considered the chairman's remarks highly exceptionable."
"Apart from a few exceptionable passages, the novel was warmly received by the censors."
Add one tiny syllable and 'exceptional' turns into its own opposite — 'exceptionable' doesn't mean outstanding, it means worth objecting to.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of exceptionable
Exceptionable derives from the Latin verb excipere ('to take out, except'), via the noun exceptio that produced English 'exception.' The adjective formed with the suffix '-able' appeared in English in the early seventeenth century, meaning 'liable to be excepted against' or objected to. It shares this Latin root with 'except,' 'exception,' and 'exceptive,' and more distantly with 'accept' (from accipere). Its sense has remained stable since its coinage, always pointing to what may justifiably be criticized.
Related word forms
How exceptionable is actually used
Formal and somewhat literary in register; rare in everyday speech. It carries a negative connotation, signaling that something deserves criticism or objection. Because it is easily confused with 'exceptional' (outstanding) and 'unexceptionable' (faultless), careful writers often prefer 'objectionable' for clarity.
Easily confused with exceptionable
'Unexceptionable' means beyond criticism or faultless, while 'exceptionable' means open to criticism — the two are near-opposites despite their similar form.
'Exceptional' means unusual or outstandingly good, whereas 'exceptionable' means something that can legitimately be objected to.