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feasible

adjective
fea·​si·​ble | \ ˈfē-zə-bəl How to pronounce feasible (audio) \

Definition of feasible

1 : capable of being done or carried out a feasible plan
2 : capable of being used or dealt with successfully : suitable
3 : reasonable, likely gave an explanation that seemed feasible enough
Other Words from feasible Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Feasible and Doable More Example Sentences Learn More about feasible

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Other Words from feasible

feasibility \ ˌfē-​zə-​ˈbi-​lə-​tē How to pronounce feasibility (audio) \ noun
feasibly \ ˈfē-​zə-​blē How to pronounce feasibly (audio) \ adverb
feasibleness noun

Choose the Right Synonym for feasible

possible, practicable, feasible mean capable of being realized. possible implies that a thing may certainly exist or occur given the proper conditions. a possible route up the west face of the mountain practicable implies that something may be effected by available means or under current conditions. a solution that is not practicable in the time available feasible applies to what is likely to work or be useful in attaining the end desired. commercially feasible for mass production

Feasible and Doable

Feasible comes from faire, the French verb meaning “to do.” Doable and feasible therefore originally meant literally the same thing: “capable of being done.” Indeed, doable was formed with -able, the Latin-derived French ending meaning “capable of” combined, in this instance, with do, a word with roots in Old English and one of the most basic and useful of our verbs. Though their respective etymological meanings may overlap, doable and feasible exist more in parallel with each other than as true synonyms. As with most such pairs of words, the Latin-derived term is used when describing more abstract notions. The words most commonly modified by feasible include:

option

alternative

solution

plan

approach

These are words that describe what has yet to be decided or what will be carefully considered. By contrast, doable modifies more concrete terms:

task

thing

target

Feasible is used when an element of abstraction, distance, and technical specificity is needed. The more earthy doable is rarely used in formal writing, and is not found in the works of Shakespeare, the King James Bible, or any of the founding documents of the United States.

This abstract use of feasible also accounts for the word that expresses a putative, conceptual, or hypothetical state: feasibility. Indeed, we frequently encounter “feasibility study” but not “doability study” (although doability is a word that is sometimes used, it hasn’t yet been added to most dictionaries). As long as something is just an idea, it’s feasible. When it’s time for action, we need to find out if it’s doable.

Examples of feasible in a Sentence

Egyptian hieroglyphics … are also usually assumed to be the product of independent invention, but the alternative interpretation of idea diffusion is more feasible than in the case of Chinese writing. — Jared M. Diamond, Guns, Germs, and Steel, 1997 … there do not appear to be any remedies for this situation that are at once politically feasible and likely to work. — Richard A. Posner, Times Literary Supplement, 1 Sept. 1995 The '70s was the era in which it seemed more important, or more feasible, to reform our bodies than to change the world. — Barbara Ehrenreich, Utne Reader, May/June 1992 The government has now made it feasible for tourists to spend as long as a month in the country … — Fred C. Shapiro, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 1990 looking for a feasible way to create new jobs would it be feasible to build a cabin in so short a time?
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Recent Examples on the Web

 Dunn said the new prisons will allow rehabilitation programs that aren’t feasible in the old facilities. — Mike Cason | Mcason@al.com, al, "Information scarce on some Alabama prison-building firms," 27 Aug. 2019 Perhaps a domestic cup run is also feasible and would at least partially quench the thirst for silverware. — SI.com, "Man Utd 2019/20 Season Preview: Strengths, Weaknesses, Key Man and Predictions," 9 Aug. 2019 Ergen said Dish plans to use existing providers wherever feasible and to funnel tasks like customer service and maintenance through its existing workforce. — Aldo Svaldi, The Denver Post, "Dish wireless — a result of T-Mobile, Sprint merger — could give metro Denver a second shot at telecom glory," 31 July 2019 While the three-month offer is free for the startups, uprooting every 90 days isn’t feasible for everyone, Lee said. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Tech scene jumps to save ‘homeless’ startups after ThinkTank’s abrupt closure," 11 July 2019 That is not a model the United States could emulate, but a more focused role for government as a catalyst is feasible and desirable. — Zachary Karabell, WIRED, "Why Trump's Misguided China Tariffs Won't Help the US," 31 Mar. 2018 Methane might be harvested from the atmosphere of Mars and other planets making flights to the distant Solar System and back more feasible. — Lee Roop | Lroop@al.com, al, "Watch SpaceX Starhopper rocket fly across the Texas sky," 27 Aug. 2019 But in a few years, an inexpensive blood test will make mass screening of cognitively normal people feasible, Aisen said. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "No cure yet, but progress made in managing and detecting Alzheimer’s," 26 Aug. 2019 The demand is feasible thanks to a custom encryption scheme called Adiantum, which Google developed earlier this year to bring stronger protection to the myriad Android devices on the market. — Louise Matsakis, WIRED, "The Android 10 Privacy and Security Upgrades You Should Know About," 22 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'feasible.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of feasible

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for feasible

Middle English faisible, feseable, borrowed from Anglo-French fesable, faisable, from fais-, stem of faire "to make, do" (going back to Latin facere) + -able -able — more at fact

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More Definitions for feasible

feasible

adjective
How to pronounce feasible (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of feasible

: possible to do

See the full definition for feasible in the English Language Learners Dictionary

feasible

adjective
fea·​si·​ble | \ ˈfē-zə-bəl How to pronounce feasible (audio) \

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