What does retainable mean?
Retainable means capable of being retained, or kept, preserved, or continued. It is especially useful when discussing information, records, features, or value that can remain in someone's possession or use rather than being lost, discarded, or allowed to fade. The word can also suggest that something is suitable for retention over time, as with durable or preservable material. It is not simply another word for retained: “retained” describes something actually kept, whereas “retainable” identifies what is able or eligible to be kept. In educational and technical writing, “retainable information” commonly means information that can be remembered and used later. The adjective has a formal, analytical tone and appears less often in casual conversation, where “keepable” may sound more natural. Because it focuses on the possibility of keeping something, retainable is useful for describing storage practices, archive policy, product design, and the long-term usefulness of data.
adjectiveCapable of being retained; able to be kept, preserved, or continued.
- Capable of being retained, especially of information, records, features, or value that can be kept or preserved.
"Teachers increasingly value material that is engaging as well as retainable."
"Teachers increasingly value material that is engaging as well as retainable."
"Retainable records should be stored in formats that remain readable over time."
Retainable describes what can be kept; retention describes the keeping itself.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does retainable come from?
Retainable was formed from the English word retain plus the suffix -able, meaning “capable of being” something. Retain came through Old French from Latin retinere, a compound of re- and tenere, meaning “to hold back” or “to keep.” The same Latin root also underlies related English words such as retention, retainer, and retentive.
Related word forms
How retainable is actually used
Primarily formal and technical. In educational contexts it often means capable of being remembered, while in technical and commercial contexts it can mean suitable for continued storage or retention.
Easily confused with retainable
Retainable describes something capable of being kept, whereas retentive describes a mind or memory that is good at retaining things.
Retractable describes something capable of being withdrawn or retracted, whereas retainable describes something capable of being kept.