Meaning & use
affordable
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Cheap enough that most people can pay for it without difficulty.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after linking verbs like be, seem, become. Can be graded: more affordable, most affordable.
Patterns
- affordable for someone
- affordable to someone
- an affordable price
- make something affordable
The city needs more affordable housing for young families.
This laptop is affordable for most students.
They offer affordable health insurance to part-time workers.
adjectivecomparable
Not too expensive for a particular person or group to manage.
Grammar: Often followed by for + person: affordable for us. Also used after be, seem, look.
Patterns
- affordable for someone
- affordable on a budget
- affordable to buy
The tickets are affordable for a family of four.
Is that car affordable on your salary?
We need a solution that is affordable to small businesses.
Word forms
| comparative | more affordable |
|---|---|
| superlative | most affordable |
Common combinations
- affordable housing
- The government is building more affordable housing.
- affordable price
- They sell good furniture at an affordable price.
- affordable for
- These meals are affordable for students.
- affordable healthcare
- Many voters want affordable healthcare.
- make something affordable
- The subsidy makes solar panels affordable for homeowners.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cheap
- Cheap often suggests low quality or a bargain, while affordable simply means within your budget.
- inexpensive
- Inexpensive is neutral and means not costly, but affordable stresses that you can actually pay for it.
- reasonable
- Reasonable means fair in price, but affordable focuses on your ability to pay.
- budget
- Budget (adjective) means designed for people with little money, while affordable is relative to any budget.
Opposites
Word family
- afford verb
- To have enough money or time for something.
- affordability noun
- The quality of being cheap enough for people to pay for.
- unaffordable adjective
- Too expensive for someone to pay for.
Commonly confused: affordable or affluent?
affordable vs affluent
Affluent means rich or wealthy, describing people, not prices. Affordable describes something you can pay for.
Practice
The new apartments are _____ for young couples earning average salaries.
Choose one answer.
The adjective 'affordable' fits after 'are' to describe the apartments. 'Afford' is a verb and cannot follow 'are' without 'to'; 'affording' would need a helping verb; 'affordably' is an adverb and would describe how something is done, not the apartments themselves.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “affordable”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.