Meaning & use
applaudable
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivecomparableformalrare
Deserving praise or approval, because it shows skill, generosity or good judgment.
Grammar: It can describe a noun directly: an applaudable effort.
Patterns
- an applaudable effort
- applaudable for something
Her decision to donate her prize money was truly applaudable.
The team made an applaudable effort despite the heavy rain.
It is applaudable that the company admitted its mistake so quickly.
Word forms
| comparative | more applaudable |
|---|---|
| superlative | most applaudable |
Common combinations
- an applaudable effort
- Finishing the marathon was an applaudable effort.
- applaudable goal
- Reducing waste is an applaudable goal.
- applaudable decision
- The mayor made an applaudable decision to open the park.
- applaudable courage
- The nurse showed applaudable courage.
Synonyms and how they differ
- commendable
- Commendable is more common and neutral, and suits formal reports where applaudable might sound a little dramatic.
- praiseworthy
- Praiseworthy stresses that the thing is worthy of praise in general, while applaudable hints at public appreciation.
- admirable
- Admirable focuses on the quality that you respect in a person, while applaudable usually describes an action.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: applaudable or laudable?
applaudable vs laudable
Laudable is the far more common word with a nearly identical meaning, so choose it if unsure.
Practice
Raising money for the local shelter was an ____ thing to do.
Choose one answer.
Applaudable means deserving praise. Deplorable and laughable are negative, and avoidable means preventable, so none fit a good deed.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “applaudable”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.