Meaning & use
warrantable
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparableformal
Able to be justified or shown to be reasonable and acceptable.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a linking verb: a warrantable claim; the action was warrantable.
Patterns
- a warrantable action
- be warrantable
- warrantable in law
The committee decided that the delay was warrantable given the circumstances.
Her complaint was entirely warrantable, so the company apologized.
Is such a strong response warrantable under the rules?
adjectivenot comparablelegalformal
Allowed or permitted by law or by an official rule.
Grammar: Common in legal writing; often followed by 'by' or 'under': warrantable by law.
Patterns
- warrantable by law
- warrantable under the agreement
The search was not warrantable under the current statute.
Only warrantable expenses may be claimed on the form.
Common combinations
- entirely warrantable
- The manager agreed the complaint was entirely warrantable.
- a warrantable claim
- The insurer rejected what it called a warrantable claim.
- warrantable under the rules
- The penalty is warrantable under the rules.
- legally warrantable
- The lawyers argued the decision was legally warrantable.
Synonyms and how they differ
- justifiable
- Much more common and slightly more neutral; use it in everyday writing where 'warrantable' would sound too formal.
- defensible
- Focuses on being able to be defended against criticism, often in arguments or decisions.
- permissible
- Means allowed by rules or law, without the idea of being reasonable.
Opposites
Word family
- warrant verb
- To make an action seem necessary or reasonable.
- warrant noun
- An official document giving permission, especially for police action.
- warranted adjective
- Justified or deserved, as in 'a warranted concern'.
- unwarranted adjective
- Not justified or not deserved.
Commonly confused: warrantable or warranted? warrantable or warranty?
warrantable vs warranted
'Warranted' means already justified; 'warrantable' means capable of being justified. A 'warranted' criticism is fair; a 'warrantable' one could be shown to be fair.
warrantable vs warranty
A noun meaning a written promise about a product; it is not an adjective and cannot replace 'warrantable'.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses 'warrantable' correctly.
Choose one answer.
'Warrantable' is an adjective meaning able to be justified, so it fits after 'was' in option 1. Option 0 needs the noun 'warranty', option 2 needs the verb 'warranted', and option 3 wrongly uses a comparative form that does not exist.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “warrantable”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.