defensible

adjective

de·​fen·​si·​ble di-ˈfen(t)-sə-bəl 

: capable of being defended

defensible theories

a defensible hill

defensibility

di-ˌfen(t)-sə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

ˌdē-

noun

defensibly

di-ˈfen(t)-sə-blē 

adverb

Synonyms

• defendable
• tenable

Examples of defensible in a Sentence

Both candidates hold defensible positions on the issue.

Under those circumstances, her actions were completely defensible.

Slavery is not morally defensible.

The city has a defensible location.

Recent Examples on the Web

The End of a Rent-Seeking Era Initially, Apple's rigorous controls were defensible. —Vivian Toh, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025

Kyiv will have to make difficult choices about which territories are defensible. —Liana Fix, Foreign Affairs, 1 May 2025

During the 2022 Oak fire in Mariposa County, California, homes that were compliant with defensible space standards were six times more likely to survive, according to the California Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force. —Elizabeth Weise, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2025

The most defensible positions will center on traits AI struggles to replicate: genuine empathy, creative vision, relationship-building, and ethical decision-making. —Roger Dooley, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English defensable, defensible "ready to fight, easily defended," borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Late Latin dēfensābilis "able to be defended," from Latin dēfensāre "to act in defense" (frequentative of dēfendere "to defend") + -bilis "capable (of acting) or worthy of (being acted upon)" — more at -able

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for defensible

• sensible
• compensable
• condensable
• dispensable
• extensible
• insensible
• ostensible
• comprehensible
• indefensible
• indispensable
• reprehensible
• supersensible