transferable

transferable — adjective

1. describes something such as a ticket, a document, or a legal right that can be g

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes something such as a ticket, a document, or a legal right that can be given or sold to another person so that the new owner may use or hold it

Example

Adina's train ticket was non-transferable, so she could not give it to a friend.

collocation: non-transferable ticket

The lease on the apartment is transferable to family members if the tenant moves out.

passive: be transferable to [person/party]

Common collocations
  • transferable ticket
  • transferable license
  • transferable right
  • transferable property
  • non-transferable document
Synonyms
  • negotiable

    narrower — used only for financial instruments such as cheques or promissory notes; not for tickets or licenses

  • assignable

    formal — applies to contracts, intellectual property, or leases that require a written assignment document

  • conveyable

    very narrow — used almost exclusively for real estate property transferred by a formal deed

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

transferable + noun

non-transferable + noun

Usage Note

Frequently appears in the negative form non-transferable, especially on tickets, licenses, and official documents where the original purchaser is the only authorised user.

Common Mistakes

I think my ticket can be transferred, so I gave it to my friend.
My ticket is transferable, so I gave it to my friend.
the adjective form is the natural way to describe a ticket's policy status.

2. describes a skill, qualification, or form of experience that stays useful when a

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes a skill, qualification, or form of experience that stays useful when applied to a different job, role, or area from the one where it was first developed

Example

The management skills Emre learned in the army are transferable to many business roles.

collocation: transferable skills

Jenna discovered that her classroom teaching skills are transferable to corporate training positions.

pattern: be transferable to [different context]

Common collocations
  • transferable skills
  • transferable knowledge
  • transferable experience
  • transferable qualifications
  • highly transferable
Synonyms
  • portable

    informal — often used in the phrase 'portable skills'; emphasises that the skill stays useful when you move

  • applicable

    broader — can describe rules, methods, or ideas; less specific to employment contexts

  • adaptable

    focuses on the person's ability to adjust the skill, not on the skill's inherent usefulness elsewhere

Antonyms
  • job-specific

    describes a skill that only works in one particular role or industry

Grammar Patterns

transferable + noun

be transferable to + noun

Usage Note

The most common collocation is transferable skills, frequently used in career-change and professional-development contexts. The noun transferability is also common in this sense: 'the transferability of her qualifications'.

Common Mistakes

My skills are very transferable in different works.
My skills are highly transferable to different jobs.
use 'highly' as the adverb (not 'very'), 'to' as the preposition (not 'in'), and 'jobs' (not 'works').

3. describes a disease or medical condition that can pass from one living being to

3.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes a disease or medical condition that can pass from one living being to another, typically through direct contact, contaminated surfaces, or airborne particles

Example

The flu virus is transferable through droplets when an infected person coughs nearby.

collocation: transferable through [medium]

Ritu was told that the skin infection is transferable by sharing towels or clothing.

passive: be transferable by [action]

Common collocations
  • transferable disease
  • transferable infection
  • transferable virus
  • transferable condition
  • transferable illness
Synonyms
  • contagious

    more common in everyday language; emphasises easy spread through casual contact

  • infectious

    formal medical term; emphasises the pathogen's ability to enter and multiply in a host

  • communicable

    formal — used in public health contexts, e.g. 'communicable disease report'

Antonyms
  • non-communicable

    medical term for diseases that cannot be passed between people, e.g. diabetes or heart disease

Grammar Patterns

be transferable through + noun

be transferable by + noun

Usage Note

Distinguish from senses 1 and 2 — this sense is restricted to diseases, pathogens, and medical conditions. Common synonyms include contagious, infectious, and communicable, though transferable places more emphasis on the mechanism of passing rather than on the ease of catching it.

Common Mistakes

This disease is transferable by people not washing hands.
This disease is transferable through contact with contaminated surfaces.
the natural pattern is 'transferable by/through [mechanism]', not 'by [people not doing something]'.

Word family

  • transfer
    verbB1
  • transfer
    nounB2
  • transferability
    nounC1
  • non-transferable
    adjectiveB2
  • transferee
    nounC1
  • transferor
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Transferable, negotiable, assignable, and conveyable all describe the legal ability to pass rights or property to another party, but each has a distinct scope. Transferable is the broadest term, covering tickets, licenses, contracts, and property — any item whose ownership can change hands. Negotiable is restricted to financial instruments such as cheques, promissory notes, and bearer bonds, which can be transferred by endorsement or delivery. Assignable applies to contracts, leases, and intellectual property rights where a formal assignment document is required to complete the transfer. Conveyable is the narrowest, used almost exclusively for real estate that passes via a formal deed. For example, a concert ticket is transferable but not negotiable or conveyable, while a house is conveyable through a deed of sale. A copyright license is assignable but not generally negotiable.

transferable ↗negotiable ↗assignableconveyable

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • non-transferable
  • transferable skills
  • transferable ticket
  • transferable right
  • transferable license

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Transferable comes from the Latin verb transferre, meaning 'to carry across' — a combination of trans- ('across') and ferre ('to carry'). The suffix -able was added in English during the early 1600s to create an adjective meaning 'capable of being carried across'. The word first appeared in legal documents about property rights, later extended to skills and knowledge (19th century) and to disease transmission (20th century).