appreciable

adjective

ap·​pre·​cia·​ble ə-ˈprē-shə-bəl  -ˈpri-sh(ē-)ə-bəl 

: capable of being perceived or measured

no appreciable difference

appreciably

ə-ˈprē-shə-blē 

-ˈpri-sh(ē-)ə-blē

adverb

Did you know?

If you assumed that appreciable means “able to be appreciated,” we see you and we appreciate you. You’ve got a good eye for word families: appreciable does indeed share an ancestor with appreciate. However, the former does not describe things that are worthy of gratitude or admiration for their value, but rather things that are noticeable or measurable, as in “an appreciable difference between the two shades of green.” Appreciable comes, via French, from the Late Latin verb appretiare (“to appraise” or “to put a price on”), and is one of several English adjectives that can be applied to something that can be detected, felt, or measured. When it comes to vocabulary, it’s hard to put a price on having an abundance of options.

Synonyms

• apprehensible
• detectable
• discernible
• discernable
• distinguishable
• palpable
• perceptible
• sensible

Choose the Right Synonym for appreciable

perceptible, sensible, palpable, tangible, appreciable, ponderable mean apprehensible as real or existent.

perceptible applies to what can be discerned by the senses often to a minimal extent.

a perceptible difference in sound to a careful listener

sensible applies to whatever is clearly apprehended through the senses or impresses itself strongly on the mind.

an abrupt, sensible drop in temperature

palpable applies either to what has physical substance or to what is obvious and unmistakable.

the tension in the air was almost palpable

tangible suggests what is capable of being handled or grasped both physically and mentally.

no tangible evidence of UFOs

appreciable applies to what is distinctly discernible by the senses or definitely measurable.

an appreciable increase in income

ponderable suggests having definitely measurable weight or importance.

exerted a ponderable influence on world events

Examples of appreciable in a Sentence

there doesn't seem to be any appreciable difference between this piece and that one

Recent Examples on the Web

Authoritarian leaders ignore judges and courts with impunity, and adding courts to democracies has no appreciable effect on their protection of civic freedoms or minority rights. —Ian Shapiro, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2014

The system boasts an overall accident rate of 1 to 1.35 preventable accidents with either personal injury or appreciable property damage per million miles traveled, which Hardesty said is an exceptional record by any standard. —Thomas Goodwin Smith, Baltimore Sun, 20 Nov. 2024

That would represent a big change in cities such as Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Trenton, New Jersey, where records were broken for a number of days without appreciable rain before showers reached the region Sunday. —John Bacon, USA TODAY, 12 Nov. 2024

But outside of Bryan Price stepping down as the team’s pitching coach—a move that, by all accounts, was entirely the coach’s call—Posey has made no appreciable moves. —Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 30 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1775, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

appreciable

adjective

ap·​pre·​cia·​ble ə-ˈprē-shə-bəl  ə-ˈprish(-ē)-ə-bəl 

: large enough to be noticed or measured

no appreciable difference

appreciably

-blē 

adverb