seeable

Meanings

1. 1adjectivenot comparable

   Possible to see; able to be noticed with your eyes.

   Grammar: Most often used after a linking verb such as be or become: the shore became seeable.

   Patterns

   • be seeable
   • become seeable
   • barely seeable
   • clearly seeable

   From the top of the hill, the whole valley was seeable in every direction.

   The comet is only seeable through a strong telescope.

   As the fog lifted, the other side of the lake slowly became seeable.

2. 2adjectivenot comparablefigurative

   Easy to understand or recognize; clear to the mind.

   Grammar: Used mainly in the phrase 'seeable to someone', meaning a person can grasp it.

   Patterns

   • seeable to someone
   • make something seeable

   The plan's weak points were seeable to everyone at the meeting.

   Once she explained it, the answer was seeable at a glance.

Word forms

Common combinations

barely seeable

In the dark, the path ahead was barely seeable.

clearly seeable

The mountain peak was clearly seeable from our hotel window.

become seeable

As the clouds moved away, the moon became seeable.

seeable from

The stage is seeable from every seat in the hall.

Synonyms and how they differ

visible

Visible is the usual everyday word and sounds more natural in most sentences; seeable is less common and slightly more formal-sounding.

noticeable

Noticeable stresses that something attracts attention, while seeable only means your eyes can pick it out.

observable

Observable is used in scientific or formal writing about things you can watch and record.

Opposites

Word family

see verb

To notice something with your eyes.

seeing noun

The act or ability of using your eyes.

unseeable adjective

Impossible to see.

seer noun

A person who is said to predict the future.

Commonly confused: seeable or seemly? seeable or visible?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “seeable”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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