1
as in defendable
capable of being defended against physical attack
the pioneers retreated to a defensible hillside to take a stand against the raiders
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2
as in justifiable
capable of being defended with good reasoning against verbal attack
there's simply no defensible reason for dropping out of school
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Recent Examples of defensible
The hazard ranking system is a key to local development processes, building safety standards and home defensible space requirements.
—
Ari Plachta, Sacramento Bee, 28 Feb. 2025
The reserve abuts Newport Coast – which already has fuel modification zones – and older homes in Corona Del Mar’s interior that were built before defensible space requirements, Gillespie said.
—Erika I. Ritchie, Orange County Register, 27 Feb. 2025
Commutations for unsophisticated folk who had been over-sentenced would have been defensible, but impunity for practitioners of political violence is what doomed the Weimar Republic.
—George Liebmann, Baltimore Sun, 23 Feb. 2025
Pritzker did opt to retain health care coverage for seniors without immigration documentation, defensible on humanitarian grounds.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defensible
Ari Plachta, Sacramento Bee, 28 Feb. 2025
The reserve abuts Newport Coast – which already has fuel modification zones – and older homes in Corona Del Mar’s interior that were built before defensible space requirements, Gillespie said.
—Erika I. Ritchie, Orange County Register, 27 Feb. 2025
Commutations for unsophisticated folk who had been over-sentenced would have been defensible, but impunity for practitioners of political violence is what doomed the Weimar Republic.
—George Liebmann, Baltimore Sun, 23 Feb. 2025
Pritzker did opt to retain health care coverage for seniors without immigration documentation, defensible on humanitarian grounds.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defensible
Cite this Entry
“Defensible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defensible. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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