identifiable

identifiable — adjective

1. having a quality or feature that makes it possible to know who or what a person

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

having a quality or feature that makes it possible to know who or what a person or thing is

Example

The bird's bright red feathers made it easily identifiable among the forest trees.

easily identifiable

Priya said the stolen vase was identifiable by a small chip on its base.

identifiable by [distinctive feature]

Common collocations
  • easily identifiable
  • clearly identifiable
  • barely identifiable
  • identifiable by
  • identifiable from
  • identifiable as
  • remain identifiable
  • become identifiable
  • make something identifiable
Synonyms
  • recognizable

    more general — can mean you have seen something before, not necessarily that you can name it

  • distinguishable

    focuses on being able to tell one thing apart from others that are similar

  • noticeable

    means easy to see or pay attention to, but does not guarantee you can name what you see

  • perceptible

    more formal and narrower — means detectable by the senses, not necessarily identifiable by name or category

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

identifiable + by + [distinctive feature]

identifiable + from + [visual/auditory cue]

identifiable + as + [category or role]

remain/stay/become + identifiable

Usage Note

Often used with adverbs like easily, clearly, barely, or instantly to indicate how straightforward recognition is. The prepositions by (referring to the distinguishing feature), from (referring to the vantage point or method), and as (referring to the category assigned) each mark a different aspect of the identification process.

Common Mistakes

She was identifiable with a red scarf.
She was identifiable by the red scarf she wore.
Identifiable by points to a distinguishing feature; identifiable with means associated with a group or cause.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe something that can be detected by the senses, but they differ in what kind of detection is involved. Recognizable is the closest to identifiable: it suggests you have seen or experienced something before and can place it again. Distinguishable narrows the meaning to telling one thing apart from others that are similar — two twins may be distinguishable by their voices even though both look alike. Noticeable only means the thing draws attention; a loud noise is noticeable even if you do not know what caused it. Perceptible is the most formal and the broadest — it covers anything the senses can pick up, from a faint smell to a tiny movement. Use identifiable when you can both detect something and assign a specific name or category to it. For example: the parcel had no address but the handwritten label made it identifiable as Priya's; the two phones looked the same but were distinguishable by their ringtones; the small crack in the vase was barely noticeable; a slight change in temperature was perceptible only to the kitchen staff.

recognizable ↗distinguishablenoticeable ↗perceptible ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • identifiable by sight
  • identifiable by sound
  • identifiable on sight
  • easily identifiable to the naked eye
  • clearly identifiable from a distance

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Formed from the verb identify (from Latin identificare, 'to make the same') plus the suffix -able, which means 'capable of being'. The verb identify entered English through French in the mid-1600s, and the adjective identifiable emerged in the early 1800s as people needed a word for something that could be recognized and named.