What does selectable mean?
Selectable means that something is available to be chosen. The term is especially common in computing, where it describes text, buttons, files, options, or other interface elements that a user has permission or the means to select. A selectable item is not necessarily selected: one describes the available action, while the other describes the completed choice. The word is also used more generally whenever a set of alternatives contains options that may be chosen. For example, a form may display several selectable payment methods, or a tour may include selectable excursions. Selectable is especially useful when there is a meaningful distinction between what remains unavailable and what has merely not yet been chosen. It is less common in formal prose than select, but it is precise in instructions and descriptions of digital products.
adjectiveAble to be chosen or selected from among several options. In computing, it describes an item that a user can choose, such as text, a button, or a file.
- Able to be chosen from among alternatives, especially in a user interface or selection process.
"Only the items marked with a check box are selectable."
"The greyed-out files are visible but not selectable."
"Holds down the modifier key to make multiple text blocks selectable."
From the Latin for “chosen,” selectable is the word that makes a menu leave the choice open.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does selectable come from?
Selectable was formed in the early 19th century from the English word select plus the suffix -able, meaning “capable of being.” Select comes through Old French selecter from Latin selectus, a past participle of seligere, meaning “to choose out.” Related words include election, eligible, and elite.
Related word forms
How selectable is actually used
Common in general and technical writing. In computing, it contrasts with a disabled or unavailable item, although a selectable item may still require additional conditions before it can be chosen.
Easily confused with selectable
Selected describes something that has already been chosen, whereas selectable describes something that is available to be chosen.
Selectable means able to be chosen, while selective means tending to choose or favour certain options.