What does ignorable mean?
Ignorable means that something can safely be ignored because it is insignificant, unimportant, or unlikely to affect the outcome. It is commonly used for details, differences, errors, risks, or other secondary considerations whose absence would not change a decision or result. The adjective is more precise than simply saying that something is unimportant: it suggests that overlooking it is justified. For example, minor variations in presentation may be ignorable in a summary report, but a serious safety risk would not be ignorable. The word is used in both British and American English and has a generally formal but neutral tone. Its close relationship to ignore and its Latin root, meaning not to know or take notice of, make it a useful term when discussing whether something deserves attention. Ignorable is therefore especially useful in analysis, planning, criticism, and discussion of risk, where it separates material considerations from those that may safely be set aside.
adjectiveCapable of being ignored or disregarded; unimportant enough that it need not affect a decision or action.
- Capable of being ignored or disregarded because it is not significant.
"The minor discrepancies are ignorable when the overall results are consistent."
"The differences in formatting are ignorable for this particular report."
"In emergency planning, even a small risk cannot be treated as ignorable."
Ignorable is the quiet opposite of unavoidable: it describes what may safely be overlooked.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of ignorable
Ignorable was borrowed into English in the early 17th century from the Latin adjective ignorabilis, meaning “that may be ignored.” It was formed from ignorare, “to disregard,” which combines the prefix in-, meaning “not,” with gnoscere, “to get to know.” The related English words ignore, ignorance, and ignorant belong to the same Latin family.
Related word forms
How ignorable is actually used
Relatively formal and neutral, though sometimes slightly formal or technical in everyday speech. It usually implies that disregarding something is reasonable rather than merely possible.
Easily confused with ignorable
Ignorable means that something may safely be overlooked, whereas ignorant describes someone who lacks knowledge or understanding.
Ignore is the verb meaning to disregard deliberately, while ignorable is the adjective describing something that can be disregarded.