preferable

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See also: préférable

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From prefer +‎ -able, probably after Middle French preferable.[1]

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈpɹɛf(ə)ɹəb(ə)l/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • IPA(key): /pɹəˈfɜːɹəb(ə)l/ (less common)

Adjective

preferable (comparative more preferable, superlative most preferable)

  1. Better than some other option; preferred.
    • 1756, George Benson, “The Præface. To the First Edition.”, in The History of the First Planting of the Christian Religion: Taken from the Acts of the Apostles, and Their Epistles. Together with the Remarkable Facts of the Jewish and Roman History; Which Affected the Christians, Within This Period., the second edition, volume the first, London: J. Waugh and W. Fenner, page v:
      This work has been the care and ſtudy of ſome years; as far as health, and other affairs, would permit. For, this appeared, to the author, of as much greater importance, than any other hiſtory whatever; as morality and religion are more excellent, than any temporal affairs; and the hiſtory of true religion, præferrable to that of impoſtures and deluſions.
    • 2007, Ted Honderich, On political means and social ends, →ISBN, page 94:
      It is not to the point that an inequality of material goods, at high levels, may not be preferable to an equality of material goods at a lower level, precisely for such reasons as self-respect.

Derived terms

Translations

References

  1. ^ “preferable, adj., adv., and n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
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