What does losable mean?
Losable is an adjective meaning capable of being lost or liable to loss. It describes something whose possession or availability is not guaranteed, whether because it is perishable, vulnerable, expendable, or exposed to the possibility of removal. The word often appears in formal or literary contexts, such as discussing losable goods, games, positions, records, or works of art. Its relationship to lose is transparent: what can be lost is losable. The term is uncommon in everyday conversation and is chiefly associated with North American English. Although British speakers also use it, the alternative spelling loseable is more familiar in British usage. Losable should not be confused with lost, which states that something has already been lost rather than identifying something capable of being lost.
adjectiveCapable of being lost; liable to loss.
- Capable of being lost; liable to loss.
"The archive warned that the only copy of the manuscript was too fragile and therefore too losable to expose to further handling."
"The company reduced the value of its losable inventory before the end of the quarter."
"A championship is a losable prize, but the experience of competing for it may prove invaluable."
Losable means it can be lost—not that it necessarily will be.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does losable come from?
Losable was formed in English by adding the suffix -able to the verb lose. The verb continues Old English lōsan, with the related native noun loss preserving the same Germanic root. Older English forms include lorn and forlorn, words derived from the same ancestral vocabulary of loss or ruin and now largely literary or archaic.
How losable is actually used
This word is uncommon and has a formal, occasionally literary tone. It is chiefly used in North American English, especially in contexts involving property, games, positions, or anything that may be lost.
Easily confused with losable
Both forms mean capable of being lost, but losable is the standard North American spelling, while loseable is more common in British usage.
Lost describes something that has already ceased to be possessed or found, whereas losable describes something capable of being lost.