acceptable

acceptable — adjective

1. good enough that people will agree to it, allow it, or treat it as proper for th

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

good enough that people will agree to it, allow it, or treat it as proper for the situation.

Example

Wearing jeans to the office is acceptable on Fridays at our company.

X is acceptable + time/place phrase

The price Mei offered for the bike was acceptable to both buyer and seller.

acceptable to + group of people

Common collocations
  • socially acceptable
  • acceptable behaviour
  • acceptable level
  • acceptable standard
  • acceptable to someone
Synonyms
  • satisfactory

    more formal; suggests requirements are clearly met

  • permissible

    stresses that rules allow it, not that people prefer it

  • appropriate

    fits the situation well, beyond merely allowed

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

acceptable to someone

acceptable for something

Usage Note

Often paired with the prepositions 'to' (the people who approve) and 'for' (the purpose or person allowed). Distinguish from sense 2: this sense means properly approved or allowed, while sense 2 means only barely good enough.

Common Mistakes

The plan was acceptable for the manager.
The plan was acceptable to the manager.
use 'to' for the person who approves; 'for' marks the purpose.
Smoking here is acceptable forbidden.
Smoking here is not acceptable.
'acceptable' is a positive word; negate it directly with 'not'.

2. good enough to use or to pass, but not impressive or much above the lowest level

2.adjectiveB1
Definition

good enough to use or to pass, but not impressive or much above the lowest level required.

Example

The hotel room was acceptable, but the thin walls let in every street noise.

acceptable, but + drawback (concessive contrast)

Tariq's first piano performance was acceptable for a beginner, nothing more.

acceptable for + group, with 'nothing more'

Common collocations
  • barely acceptable
  • just acceptable
  • acceptable but not great
  • acceptable score
Synonyms
  • adequate

    neutral; meets the minimum without judgment

  • passable

    very close in meaning; emphasises 'just past the line'

  • tolerable

    we can put up with it, often despite drawbacks

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

X is acceptable but not Y

Usage Note

Usually signals damning with faint praise. Often appears with hedges such as 'just', 'barely', 'only', or with a 'but' clause that names the weakness. Distinguish from sense 1: that sense approves; this sense says it merely passes.

Common Mistakes

The cake was very acceptable and amazing.
The cake was acceptable, but nothing special.
sense 2 means low-but-passing quality; pairing it with 'amazing' makes the sentence contradict itself.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All five describe something that meets a standard, but they differ in tone and focus. 'Acceptable' is the everyday choice and points at agreement: people, rules, or norms will allow it. 'Satisfactory' is slightly more formal and stresses that requirements have been clearly met, often in school reports or product reviews. 'Adequate' is more neutral and basic, simply saying something does the job without comment on quality. 'Permissible' narrows the focus to rules or laws — it says you are allowed to do it, not that anyone likes it. 'Appropriate' goes further than 'acceptable' and says something fits the situation well. For example, jeans are acceptable at a casual office, satisfactory work earns a passing grade, an adequate meal fills you up, photography is permissible inside the museum, and a black suit is appropriate for a funeral.

acceptable ↗satisfactory ↗adequate ↗permissible ↗appropriate ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • acceptable behaviour
  • acceptable level
  • acceptable standard
  • acceptable risk
  • acceptable answer
  • acceptable solution
  • acceptable score

Adverbs

  • socially acceptable
  • perfectly acceptable
  • widely acceptable
  • barely acceptable
  • just acceptable
  • morally acceptable
  • generally acceptable

Phrases

  • within acceptable limits
  • find a mutually acceptable solution
  • no longer acceptable

Prepositions

  • acceptable to (someone)
  • acceptable for (something)
  • acceptable as (something)

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Built from the verb 'accept' plus the suffix '-able', meaning 'able to be accepted'. English borrowed the pattern from Old French 'acceptable' in the 14th century, which itself came from Late Latin 'acceptabilis'. The Latin root 'acceptare' is a frequentative form of 'accipere', made up of 'ad-' (to) and 'capere' (to take), so the underlying picture is 'fit to be taken in or received'.