What does repairability mean?
Repairability is the quality of being able to restore a damaged, faulty, or worn-out object to a useful condition. It is used particularly when discussing products, electronics, vehicles, buildings, and other things that may eventually need mending or part replacement. The word can describe a broad property, as in “the repairability of the device,” or a comparative assessment, as in choosing the model with greater repairability. Repairability has gained prominence in discussions of sustainability because an item that can be repaired may last longer and generate less waste than one designed to be discarded after a single failure. The term can also refer to ease of repair, although questions of ease, cost, availability of parts, and access to specialist services may need to be specified separately. It is a formal, practical noun rather than everyday vocabulary.
nounThe quality or condition of being repairable: the possibility that something damaged or faulty can be restored to working order.
- The quality or condition of being able to repair something.
"The manufacturer improved the device's repairability by making its battery and screen easier to replace."
"Consumers are increasingly choosing products with high repairability and replaceable components."
"The policy is designed to improve the repairability of electronic equipment while reducing electronic waste."
Rarely used in the plural; repairability is normally treated as an uncountable quality.
"The study compared the repairabilities of several different product designs."
Repairability asks a practical question: when something breaks, can it be fixed rather than discarded?
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does repairability come from?
Repairability is formed within English by combining repair, from Old French repairer, “to mend,” with the suffix -ability. The related word repair itself ultimately comes through Old French from Latin reparare, meaning “to restore” or “put in order.” The modern noun repairability developed later as a way of naming the quality or property of being repairable.
Related word forms
How repairability is actually used
Repairability is especially common in discussions of consumer products, electronics, vehicles, and environmental policy. It is usually uncountable and is more specific than the general idea of fixability because it concerns the feasibility or ease of making repairs.