habitable

adjective

hab·​it·​able ˈha-bə-tə-bəl 

 also  hə-ˈbi-tə-

: capable of being lived in : suitable for habitation

habitability

ˌha-bə-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

habitableness

ˈha-bə-tə-bəl-nes 

noun

habitably

ˈha-bə-tə-blē 

 also  hə-ˈbi-tə-

adverb

Synonyms

• inhabitable
• livable
• liveable

Examples of habitable in a Sentence

The house is not habitable.

the frigid Arctic is not habitable for amphibians and reptiles—or for humans, either, for that matter

Recent Examples on the Web

The mineral grain was altered by hot water on Mars, which suggests that habitable environments such as hot springs may have existed on the red planet early in its history. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 14 Dec. 2024

Thus, the formation of habitable environments on these worlds is dependent on events that can promote mixing of these two regions. —Conor Feehly, Discover Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024

In an ambitious $5 billion mission decades in the making, NASA sent a jumbo robotic probe called the Europa Clipper to see if the icy moon has the key characteristics of a habitable world. —Joel Achenbach, arkansasonline.com, 20 Oct. 2024

Data from previous missions and long-range studies from Earth indicate a vast salt-water ocean lurks beneath the moon's frozen crust, providing a possibly habitable environment. —William Harwood, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

habitable

adjective

hab·​it·​able ˈhab-ət-ə-bəl 

: suitable or fit to live in

a habitable cave

habitability

ˌhab-ət-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

Legal Definition

habitable

adjective

hab·​it·​able ˈha-bi-tə-bəl 

: suitable and fit for a person to live in : free of defects that endanger the health and safety of occupants see also warranty of habitability at warranty

habitability

ˌha-bi-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

habitableness noun

habitably adverb