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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective suitable differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of suitable are appropriate, apt, felicitous, fitting, fit, happy, meet, and proper. While all these words mean "right with respect to some end, need, use, or circumstance," suitable implies an answering to requirements or demands.

clothes suitable for camping

In what contexts can appropriate take the place of suitable?

The meanings of appropriate and suitable largely overlap; however, appropriate implies eminent or distinctive fitness.

an appropriate gift

Where would apt be a reasonable alternative to suitable?

The synonyms apt and suitable are sometimes interchangeable, but apt connotes a fitness marked by nicety and discrimination.

apt quotations

When could felicitous be used to replace suitable?

In some situations, the words felicitous and suitable are roughly equivalent. However, felicitous suggests an aptness that is opportune, telling, or graceful.

a felicitous phrase

When is fit a more appropriate choice than suitable?

While in some cases nearly identical to suitable, fit stresses adaptability and sometimes special readiness for use or action.

fit for battle

When would fitting be a good substitute for suitable?

While the synonyms fitting and suitable are close in meaning, fitting implies harmony of mood or tone.

a fitting end

When might happy be a better fit than suitable?

The words happy and suitable are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, happy suggests what is effectively or successfully appropriate.

a happy choice of words

When is it sensible to use meet instead of suitable?

The words meet and suitable can be used in similar contexts, but meet suggests a just proportioning.

meet payment

When can proper be used instead of suitable?

Although the words proper and suitable have much in common, proper suggests a suitability through essential nature or accordance with custom.

proper acknowledgement

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of suitable This content is not, nor is intended to be, trading or investment advice or a recommendation that any investment product or strategy is suitable for any person. Follow me on Twitter. Jj Kinahan, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025 Charm's bio-oil and biochar production uses trees that aren't suitable for commercial lumber. Ben Geman, Axios, 16 Jan. 2025 The current experimental setup relies on bulk optical components, which are not yet suitable for large-scale integration. The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 16 Jan. 2025 Thermoregulation is how humans maintain a temperature range suitable for life. Ruth Jessen Hickman, Md, Verywell Health, 15 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for suitable 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suitable
Adjective
  • Support In a meeting with the U.S. House of Representatives' select committee on China earlier this week, McCourt and his co-bidder Kevin O'Leary received assurances that lawmakers on both sides of the U.S. political aisle are committed to ensuring a qualified divestiture.
    Krystal Hu, USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2025
  • Employee Retention Credit Eligible employers are those that paid qualified wages to some or all employees after March 12, 2020, and before Jan. 1, 2022.
    Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 25 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • With Biden, the vice presidency seemed to return to a more appropriate equilibrium after Cheney’s extraordinary tenure.
    Roy Brownell, Baltimore Sun, 18 Jan. 2025
  • While current data show that youth use remains low, the FDA is closely monitoring the marketplace and is committed to taking action, as appropriate, to best protect public health.
    Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The hotel whose setting and décor is the next best thing to visiting Austria is also full of the real family’s history.
    Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey, contributor, CNBC, 20 Jan. 2025
  • The host, whose popular book club Read with Jenna has helped propel 47 titles to the New York Times best seller list, is launching her own publishing imprint.
    Alex Ross, People.com, 19 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The location seemed fitting for the executive-heavy and tech-centric crowd, since the museum focuses on architecture, design, engineering and urban planning.
    Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 20 Jan. 2025
  • But now everything is closed in, and people still have strange desires that are not fitting in with today’s life.
    David Marchese, Vulture, 16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Moreover, the fact that the naval base is meant to house vessels capable of launching long-range missiles signifies that Tehran is planning to conduct more long-distance strikes.
    Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025
  • One way to read LaFleur’s assessment is the Packers didn’t have pass rushers capable of winning one-on-ones often enough, so Hafley had to get creative with ways to generate pressure.
    Matt Schneidman, The Athletic, 20 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Reacting to the decision by the Trump administration to close the U.S. visa section of the embassy in Colombia, Petro said there are thousands of Americans living in Colombia without proper documentation.
    Sonia Osorio, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2025
  • This will allow for proper healing and closure of the wound.
    Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 25 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Many of the reforms proposed here would require an activist and competent state, which suggests that quite a few countries would need to monumentally overhaul their governments’ operations.
    Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 14 Jan. 2025
  • With figures suggesting global branding agencies were worth $5.2 billion in 2023, this is clearly a competent and expert sector.
    Callum Booth, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Try slouchy or slim-fit designs tucked under midi hemlines, from skirts to dresses, and wider shafts with fitted or straight-leg jeans tucked in.
    Laura Lajiness Kaupke, Vogue, 1 Oct. 2024
  • Play with proportion by pairing it with a fitted miniskirt, or give it a baggy-on-baggy look with wide-leg jeans.
    Jamie Allison Sanders, Peoplemag, 26 Sep. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near suitable

Cite this Entry

“Suitable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suitable. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on suitable

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