What does statable mean?
Statable means able to be stated or put clearly into words. It is especially useful when discussing information that can be expressed as a precise claim, proposition, question, or definition. For example, a distinction between two concepts may be difficult to understand yet still statable if it can be formulated accurately. The word can also imply that a matter is sufficiently clear to be expressed without relying on speculation, implication, or an incomplete description. Statable is relatively uncommon in everyday speech and has a formal, analytical tone, so most speakers would simply say expressible or definable in less technical contexts. Its usefulness lies in focusing attention on the relationship between thought and language: a subject may be understood in general terms without being ready for an exact statement. It may also indicate that further investigation is needed before a claim can be stated responsibly.
adjectiveCapable of being stated or expressed clearly in words. The word is uncommon and is often used to distinguish what can be formulated as a proposition or assertion from what cannot.
- Able or fit to be stated, especially as a clear proposition, claim, or assertion.
"The claim is not yet sufficiently precise to be statable as a single proposition."
"The distinction is subtle but sufficiently statable to appear in the report."
"Several of the underlying assumptions are not yet statable in formal terms."
A definition does more than explain a word: it makes the word statable by putting its meaning into words.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does statable come from?
Statable was formed in English by combining state with the suffix -able, meaning “able to be” or “capable of being.” The adjective therefore literally describes something that can be stated. State itself entered English from Old French estat, ultimately from Latin status, while -able came through French from the Latin suffix -abilis. The same Latin root underlies related words such as status, statement, and statesman.
Related word forms
How statable is actually used
Statable is uncommon and sounds formal or technical, especially in discussions of propositions, claims, and formal systems. The closely related form stateable also occurs, but statable is the more usual headword form.
Easily confused with statable
Statable means capable of being stated in words, whereas stable means steady, secure, or unlikely to change.