allowable

allowable — adjective

1. officially permitted under the regulations or laws that govern a specific activi

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

officially permitted under the regulations or laws that govern a specific activity, often with a stated upper or lower limit.

Example

The maximum allowable speed inside the school zone is 30 kilometres per hour.

collocation: maximum allowable + noun for stated limits

Each climber must carry no more than the allowable weight set by the park rangers.

allowable + noun (weight, level, limit)

Common collocations
  • maximum allowable
  • minimum allowable
  • allowable limit
  • allowable level
  • allowable speed
  • allowable weight
Synonyms
  • permissible

    very close in meaning; slightly more formal and common in legal writing

  • permitted

    more neutral; describes a specific act rather than a general category

  • acceptable

    broader; can refer to social or moral approval, not just rules

Antonyms
  • forbidden

    stronger; suggests an explicit ban

  • prohibited

    formal counterpart used in laws and notices

Grammar Patterns

allowable + noun (limit, level, speed)

maximum/minimum allowable + noun

Usage Note

Frequently appears with quantitative nouns (limit, level, amount, speed, weight) and is often paired with maximum or minimum. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense covers any rule-based permission, while sense 2 is narrowly about money that escapes tax.

Common Mistakes

The teacher said chewing gum is allowable in class.
The teacher said chewing gum is allowed in class.
'allowable' sounds too formal for everyday classroom rules; use 'allowed' or 'permitted' for casual contexts.

2. describing money — usually business expenses or deductions — that the tax author

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

describing money — usually business expenses or deductions — that the tax authority lets you subtract from your income before tax is calculated.

Example

Travel between client sites counts as an allowable expense for self-employed designers like Ines.

collocation: allowable expense in tax contexts

The accountant explained which office costs are allowable when Daniel files his yearly tax return.

predicate use: [costs] are allowable

Common collocations
  • allowable expense
  • allowable deduction
  • tax-allowable
  • allowable costs
Synonyms
  • deductible

    near-perfect match in tax contexts; even more specific to subtraction from taxable income

  • tax-deductible

    compound form often preferred in everyday financial talk

Antonyms
  • non-deductible

    expenses that the tax authority refuses to recognise

  • taxable

    describes income or items that are charged tax, not subtracted from it

Grammar Patterns

allowable + noun (expenses, deduction, costs)

tax-allowable + noun

Usage Note

Subject is almost always a type of cost, expense, donation, or deduction. Distinguish from sense 1: here the 'rules' are specifically tax rules, and the effect is reducing taxable income, not granting general permission.

Common Mistakes

My salary is allowable for tax.
My travel costs are allowable for tax.
only expenses or deductions can be 'allowable' in this sense, not income itself.

Word family

  • allow
    verbA2
  • allowance
    nounB2
  • allowed
    adjectiveA2
  • disallow
    verbC1
  • disallowed
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words signal that something is not blocked, but they differ in source of authority and tone. 'Allowable' and 'permissible' both point to written rules and feel formal — you will see them in safety codes, sports regulations, and government notices, often with a stated number ('the allowable limit', 'permissible noise levels'). 'Permitted' is the most neutral: it simply records that a specific act has been approved, with no judgement about the rule itself ('photography is permitted'). 'Acceptable' moves the test from rules to opinion or standards — what people are willing to put up with — so it covers behaviour, manners, and quality, not just legality. Compare: 'A 5% margin of error is allowable under the contract' (the contract draws the line) versus 'A 5% margin of error is acceptable' (the speaker tolerates it).

allowable ↗permissible ↗permitted ↗acceptable ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • legally allowable
  • strictly allowable

Phrases

  • maximum allowable
  • minimum allowable
  • tax-allowable expenses
  • within allowable limits

Prepositions

  • allowable under (the law/rules)
  • allowable for (tax/travel)

Etymology

Old FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Built from the verb 'allow' (from Old French 'alouer', meaning to approve or assign) plus the suffix '-able', which forms adjectives meaning 'capable of being'. The combined form entered English in the late Middle Ages and originally covered anything that could properly be approved; the narrower modern senses, especially the tax-deduction use, grew out of legal and accounting writing in the 19th and 20th centuries.