Meaning & use
permittable
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Able to be allowed under a rule, law or agreement, so that doing it will not break any regulation.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after be: permittable limits, or the amount is permittable.
Patterns
- permittable under something
- it is permittable to do something
The lab set the maximum permittable level of the chemical.
Nothing in the contract makes the delay permittable.
It is permittable to park here for two hours.
Common combinations
- permittable level
- The permittable level of noise at night is quite low.
- permittable under the rules
- Such changes are permittable under the club rules.
- legally permittable
- The use of the land is legally permittable.
- not permittable
- Late entries are not permittable in this competition.
Synonyms and how they differ
- permissible
- Permissible is the standard and more common word, so it sounds more natural in most writing.
- allowable
- Allowable is plainer and often used for limits, such as an allowable expense.
- acceptable
- Acceptable suggests that something is good enough or tolerated, not necessarily that a rule allows it.
- lawful
- Lawful is narrower because it means allowed by law, not just by a rule or agreement.
Opposites
Word family
- permit verb
- to allow something
- permission noun
- the act of allowing, or consent
- permissible adjective
- allowed, the more usual adjective
- permitted adjective
- officially allowed
Commonly confused: permittable or permissible?
permittable vs permissible
Permissible is the standard form with the same meaning. Permittable is much rarer and may look like an error to some readers.
Practice
The rules state the maximum ____ amount of salt in each portion.
Choose one answer.
Permissible, like permittable, means allowed by the rules. Permanent, persistent and personal have different meanings and do not fit the idea of a limit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “permittable”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.