What does repealable mean?
Repealable is a formal adjective meaning capable of being repealed, revoked, or annulled. It most often describes a law, regulation, treaty, decision, or other action by an authority that can be undone through the proper legal or institutional process. The term emphasizes reversibility rather than the reason or method of repeal. For example, an emergency regulation may be described as repealable to indicate that it was intended to expire or be formally rescinded rather than remain permanently in force. Although similar in meaning to revocable, repealable has a narrower association with laws and formal enactments. It is most common in legal, governmental, and policy contexts, where the distinction between a measure that remains in effect and one that may be formally undone is important.
adjectiveCapable of being repealed or annulled. It describes laws, decisions, regulations, or other formal arrangements that may be revoked by the authority that created them.
- Able to be repealed, revoked, or annulled by the appropriate authority.
"The committee argued that the emergency regulation should be temporary and repealable."
"The regulation was written as a repealable measure rather than a permanent change."
"The court held that the original order remained repealable until formally set aside."
Repealable is a reminder that even a powerful law is not the same as an irreversible one.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does repealable come from?
The word is formed from the English noun “repeal,” meaning to revoke or annul a law, with the suffix “-able,” meaning “capable of being.” “Repeal” comes through Anglo-French from Latin repellere, meaning “to drive back,” a root also represented in English words such as repel and repulse. The development of “repeal” from the idea of driving back or undoing an act to the modern legal sense of revoking legislation reflects the word’s long association with withdrawing formal authority.
Related word forms
How repealable is actually used
This is a formal and relatively uncommon adjective. It is especially associated with laws, regulations, treaties, decisions, and other governmental acts that can be formally undone.
Easily confused with repealable
Repealable specifically refers to something that can be repealed, while revocable is broader and commonly describes permissions, appointments, or other arrangements that can be withdrawn.
Repealable means capable of being revoked, whereas repeatable means capable of being done or said again.