Meaning & use
demonstrable
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Meaning
adjectivebefore a nounformal
Able to be shown to be true by evidence, a test or a clear example.
Grammar: Usually comes before a noun: a demonstrable benefit. It can follow a linking verb, but that is less common.
Patterns
- a demonstrable effect on something
- a demonstrable need for something
The study found a demonstrable link between sleep and test scores.
There is no demonstrable benefit in making employees stay late.
The new drug had a demonstrable effect on blood pressure within a week.
Word forms
| comparative | more demonstrable |
|---|---|
| superlative | most demonstrable |
Common combinations
- demonstrable benefit
- Parents wanted a demonstrable benefit before paying for the program.
- demonstrable evidence
- The council asked for demonstrable evidence of the safety improvements.
- demonstrable link
- Researchers found a demonstrable link between pollution and asthma.
- demonstrable need
- There is a demonstrable need for more nurses in the region.
- clearly demonstrable
- The difference in quality is clearly demonstrable.
Synonyms and how they differ
- provable
- Provable focuses on being proved logically or legally, while demonstrable often suggests showing something with evidence or a visible example.
- verifiable
- Verifiable means a claim can be checked by someone else, whereas demonstrable means it can be shown to be true.
- evident
- Evident means obvious to anyone looking, but demonstrable stresses that evidence can be produced when challenged.
- measurable
- Measurable applies only to things that can be counted or quantified, while demonstrable covers any proof.
Opposites
Word family
- demonstrate verb
- to show clearly, or to prove
- demonstration noun
- an act of showing, or a public protest
- demonstrably adverb
- in a way that can be proved
- demonstrator noun
- a person who shows how something works or who joins a protest
Commonly confused: demonstrable or demonstrative?
demonstrable vs demonstrative
Demonstrative describes someone who openly shows feelings, or a word like this or that, while demonstrable means provable.
Practice
The company claims its software saves time, but there is no ___ proof of this.
Choose one answer.
Demonstrable means able to be shown by evidence, which fits proof. Demonstrative is the tempting wrong choice because it looks similar but describes showing emotions.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “demonstrable”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.