Meaning & use
seaworthiness
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Meanings
noununcountable
The condition of a boat or ship being strong, well equipped, and safe enough to travel on the sea.
Grammar: Uncountable: use it with 'the' or no article, as in 'check the seaworthiness of the vessel'.
Patterns
- the seaworthiness of a ship
- check/assess seaworthiness
- seaworthiness certificate
Before the long crossing, the crew checked the seaworthiness of the old fishing boat.
Insurance companies may refuse cover if they doubt the seaworthiness of a vessel.
The surveyor's report confirmed the seaworthiness of the yacht after the repairs.
noununcountabletechnical
The quality in a design or piece of equipment of being suitable and safe for use at sea.
Grammar: Used about things as well as vessels, often before another noun: 'seaworthiness standards'.
Patterns
- seaworthiness standards
- improve seaworthiness
New seaworthiness standards forced the yard to redesign the hull.
The extra buoyancy greatly improved the seaworthiness of the small dinghy.
Common combinations
- check the seaworthiness of
- Divers checked the seaworthiness of the hull before the season began.
- doubt the seaworthiness of
- The harbor master doubted the seaworthiness of the leaking trawler.
- seaworthiness certificate
- Without a seaworthiness certificate, the boat cannot be insured.
- confirm the seaworthiness of
- The inspector confirmed the seaworthiness of the ferry after a full survey.
- standards of seaworthiness
- Older ships often fail to meet modern standards of seaworthiness.
Synonyms and how they differ
- soundness
- A more general word for being in good condition; it can describe bridges or arguments, not just vessels at sea.
- fitness
- Focuses on being suitable for a purpose, so it is vaguer than seaworthiness, which is specifically about surviving conditions at sea.
Opposites
Word family
- seaworthy adjective
- Strong and safe enough to sail on the sea.
- unseaworthy adjective
- Not safe or strong enough to go to sea.
- seaworthily adverb
- In a manner that is safe for sea travel; rare in everyday use.
Commonly confused: seaworthiness or seaworthiness?
seaworthiness vs seaworthiness
Sometimes confused with 'airworthiness', which means safe enough to fly; the suffix -worthiness appears in both.
Practice
The surveyor refused to sign the certificate because he ______ the seaworthiness of the vessel.
Choose one answer.
'Doubted' is the past-tense verb needed after the subject 'he'. 'Doubtful' is an adjective and would need a verb such as 'was', and 'doubtfully' is an adverb, so neither can stand alone here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “seaworthiness”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.