drinkable
gb/dɹˈɪŋkəbəl/ us/dɹˈɪŋkəbəl/
B2
English
Senses
0 senses
adjective
B2
property
1
safe and suitable to drink
You can drink it safely.
Usage pattern:
drinkable [liquid]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think drinkable means 'alcoholic'; it mainly means 'safe to drink'.
Synonyms
potable (More formal/technical, used especially for water.)
|
safe to drink (Common plain-language equivalent.)
Antonyms
undrinkable (Not safe or not fit to drink.)
|
contaminated (Specifically emphasizes pollution or germs.)
Collocations
drinkable water
|drinkable tap water
|drinkable supply
|drinkable groundwater
|clean and drinkable
|safe and drinkable
|fully drinkable
|not drinkable
|make it drinkable
|treated to be drinkable
Themes
food_and_drink
|health
|daily_life
|environment
Examples
- After the storm, the city warned residents that the tap water was not drinkable.
- The filter removes bacteria and makes the water drinkable.
- In some villages, only one well provides drinkable water year-round.
Learner examples
- This water is drinkable.
- Is the tap water drinkable here?
adjective
B2
property
2
tastes good enough to drink
It tastes OK (not terrible).
Usage pattern:
drinkable [drink]
Common mistake:
This meaning is about taste/quality, not safety; context usually makes that clear.
Synonyms
palatable (More formal; means 'pleasant enough to taste'.)
|
acceptable (Neutral; focuses on meeting a basic standard.)
Antonyms
undrinkable (So unpleasant (or poor quality) that you cannot drink it.)
|
foul-tasting (Emphasizes very bad taste.)
Collocations
barely drinkable
|quite drinkable
|surprisingly drinkable
|perfectly drinkable
|still drinkable
|drinkable wine
|drinkable coffee
|drinkable beer
|more drinkable
|less drinkable
Themes
food_and_drink
|daily_life
Examples
- The instant coffee was weak, but still drinkable.
- It’s not a great bottle of wine, but it’s drinkable.
- By the time the ice melted, the soda was flat and barely drinkable.
Learner examples
- The tea is drinkable, but it needs sugar.
Grammar
Dictionary form
drinkable
IPA
GB/dɹˈɪŋkəbəl/
US/dɹˈɪŋkəbəl/
Syllables & stress
drink - able (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (drink)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: drinkable
Word family
Expressions
make [something] drinkable
1/mˈeɪk sˈʌmθɪŋ dɹˈɪŋkəbəl/
fixed phrase
treat liquid so it’s safe
Make it safe to drink.
Examples
- Boiling the water for one minute will make it drinkable.
- The new treatment plant can make river water drinkable in a few hours.
- In an emergency, purification tablets can help make water drinkable.