feasible
adjective
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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.
Synonyms
Examples of feasible in a Sentence
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?
Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 14 Nov. 2024
As recorder, some of the proposals likely wouldn't be feasible.
—Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024
Not all of these ideas are immediately feasible, and none will be popular.
—Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 2 Nov. 2024
Be very firm and clear about the parts of their ideas that aren’t feasible or ask too much of you.
—R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for feasible 
Dictionary Entries Near feasible
Cite this Entry
“Feasible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feasible. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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feasible
adjective
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