considerable

considerable — adjective

1. of a size, amount, or importance that is clearly above average and has a real ef

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

of a size, amount, or importance that is clearly above average and has a real effect or consequence.

Example

Rebuilding the port after the typhoon required a considerable investment from the government.

collocation: considerable investment

Yael saved a considerable amount of money by cooking at home instead of eating out.

collocation: a considerable amount of + uncountable noun

Common collocations
  • considerable amount of
  • considerable number of
  • considerable sum of money
  • considerable degree of
  • considerable extent
  • considerable influence
  • considerable importance
  • considerable damage
  • considerable progress
  • considerable effort
  • considerable investment
  • considerable difference
Synonyms
  • significant

    closest in meaning; emphasizes importance or meaningfulness rather than raw size

  • substantial

    suggests solid physical mass or a large quantity, often of money or resources

  • sizable

    more informal; used for amounts or numbers that are impressively large

  • ample

    carries a positive tone, suggesting more than enough

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

considerable + noun

linking verb + considerable

Usage Note

Stronger than 'a fair amount of' but less dramatic than 'enormous' or 'massive'. Frequently appears with uncountable or abstract nouns — common pairings include 'amount', 'time', 'effort', 'importance', 'damage', 'progress', and 'influence'. Can also follow linking verbs such as 'be' or 'become': 'The costs were considerable.'

Common Mistakes

There was a considerable people at the event.
There was a considerable number of people at the event.
'considerable' does not directly modify countable plural nouns; use 'considerable number of' instead.
He is a considerable businessman.
He is a businessman of considerable influence.
'considerable' usually modifies amounts, degrees, or abstract qualities, not people directly.

considerable — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe something large or important, but they differ in nuance. 'Considerable' focuses on an amount that is large enough to have a real impact — it carries a slightly neutral tone. 'Significant' emphasizes meaning or importance beyond just size: a significant discovery matters because of its implications. 'Substantial' suggests solid, physical largeness — a substantial meal fills you up, a substantial income covers all your needs. 'Sizable' is the most informal and is used mostly for countable quantities: a sizable crowd, a sizable profit. Choose 'considerable' when you want to stress that the size or degree is noteworthy but not extreme; use 'significant' when the importance is the main point; pick 'substantial' for physical or financial bulk; and use 'sizable' in casual contexts about numbers. A single donation of NT$50,000 could be described as both 'a considerable sum' and 'a sizable donation', but only 'a significant contribution' would also highlight its effects on a project.

considerable ↗significant ↗substantial ↗sizable

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • a considerable amount of
  • a considerable number of
  • to a considerable extent
  • to a considerable degree

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word comes from Latin 'considerabilis', meaning 'worthy of consideration'. It entered English in the 1400s with that literal meaning — something deserving thought. Over the 1600s and 1700s, the sense shifted: if something was 'worthy of consideration', it was usually because it was large or substantial, and the word gradually came to mean 'large in amount' on its own. The two senses (adjective and noun) both developed from this same root, with the noun arising as a convenient shorthand for 'a considerable quantity'.