maintainability
gb/mˈeɪntˈeɪnəbˈɪlɪti/ us/mˈeɪntˈeɪnəbˈɪlɪti/
C1
English
Senses
0 senses
Noun
technical
C1
property
1
ease of keeping working
How easy it is to look after, repair, or update something so that it continues to work well.
Usage pattern:
maintainability of [something]; high/low maintainability
Common mistake:
Do not confuse maintainability with maintenance: maintenance is the work done; maintainability is how easy that work is.
Synonyms
serviceability (Often used for physical equipment and how easily it can be serviced.)
|
supportability (Emphasizes the ability to support a product or system over time.)
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reparability (Focuses specifically on how easily something can be repaired.)
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modifiability (In software, emphasizes how easily something can be changed.)
Antonyms
unmaintainability (The direct opposite, but much less common.)
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irreparability (Opposite when the focus is on being impossible or very difficult to repair.)
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disposability (Suggests something is meant to be thrown away rather than maintained.)
Collocations
software maintainability
|code maintainability
|system maintainability
|product maintainability
|high maintainability
|low maintainability
|improve maintainability
|maintainability requirements
|maintainability concerns
|maintainability metrics
Themes
technology
|engineering
|software
|product_design
Examples
- The team rewrote the old codebase to improve maintainability.
- Good documentation can make a big difference to the maintainability of a system.
- The aircraft design was praised for its reliability and maintainability.
Learner examples
- Simple code usually has better maintainability.
- The company wants to improve the maintainability of its machines.
Noun
formal
C1
property
2
ability to be continued
How possible it is to keep something going for a long time.
Usage pattern:
maintainability of [a plan/system/level/arrangement]
Common mistake:
In many general contexts, sustainability is more common than maintainability.
Synonyms
sustainability (More common in general use, especially for long-term continuation.)
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viability (Emphasizes whether something can work successfully in practice.)
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durability (Emphasizes lasting over time rather than active support.)
Antonyms
unsustainability (The state of not being able to continue over time.)
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impracticality (Emphasizes that something cannot realistically be managed or continued.)
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instability (Emphasizes a lack of steadiness or security.)
Collocations
long-term maintainability
|financial maintainability
|operational maintainability
|question the maintainability
|assess the maintainability
|maintainability of the model
|maintainability of current levels
Themes
business
|planning
|management
|policy
Examples
- The report questioned the maintainability of the current funding model.
- Without more staff, the maintainability of the service is doubtful.
- Managers need to consider the long-term maintainability of the new schedule.
Learner examples
- They discussed the maintainability of the plan.
- The project has poor maintainability without more money.
Grammar
Dictionary form
maintainability
IPA
GB/mˈeɪntˈeɪnəbˈɪlɪti/
US/mˈeɪntˈeɪnəbˈɪlɪti/
Syllables & stress
main - tain - ab - il - ity (5 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (main)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: maintainability
- Plural: maintainability
Expressions
design for maintainability
1/dɪzˈaɪn fɚ mˈeɪntˈeɪnəbˈɪlɪti/
fixed phrase
technical
design to ease upkeep
Designing something so that it will be easy to repair or look after later.
Examples
- The company adopted design for maintainability to reduce repair time.
- Access panels were added as part of a broader design for maintainability strategy.
- Software architects should design for maintainability from the start.
maintainability index
1/mˈeɪntˈeɪnəbˈɪlɪti ˈɪndɛks/
fixed phrase
technical
code maintainability metric
A number that tries to show how easy code is to maintain.
Examples
- The tool calculates a maintainability index for each module.
- A low maintainability index can indicate code that is hard to understand or modify.
- The team tracked the maintainability index during the refactoring project.
maintainability testing
1/mˈeɪntˈeɪnəbˈɪlɪti tˈɛstɪŋ/
fixed phrase
technical
testing ease of maintenance
Checking how easy something will be to repair, update, or change.
Examples
- Maintainability testing showed that the equipment could be serviced in less than ten minutes.
- The QA plan includes maintainability testing for the new platform.
- During maintainability testing, reviewers looked for code that would be hard to change.
reliability, availability, and maintainability
1/ɹilˌaɪəbˈɪləti | əvˌeɪləbˈɪlɪti | ˈænd mˈeɪntˈeɪnəbˈɪlɪti/
fixed phrase
technical
system dependability measures
Three qualities used to judge how dependable a system is and how easy it is to keep working.
Examples
- The contract includes targets for reliability, availability, and maintainability.
- Engineers reviewed the reliability, availability, and maintainability of the rail system.
- Reliability, availability, and maintainability are critical in defense and aerospace projects.
software maintainability
1/sˈɔftwˌɛɹ mˈeɪntˈeɪnəbˈɪlɪti/
fixed phrase
technical
ease of changing software
How easy it is to fix or change software after it has been created.
Examples
- Refactoring improved the software maintainability of the payment system.
- The audit found serious software maintainability problems in several older applications.
- Clear naming and automated tests are important for software maintainability.