- 1 agreed or approved of by most people in a society Children must learn socially acceptable behaviour. Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, prove, seem, … adverbhighly, very, completely, … prepositionto phrasesthe boundaries of acceptable…, the bounds of acceptable…, the limits of acceptable…, … See full entry
- 2 that somebody agrees is of a good enough standard or allowed For this course a pass in English at grade B is acceptable. Air pollution in the city had reached four times the acceptable levels. acceptable to somebody We want a political solution that is acceptable to all parties. Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, prove, seem, … adverbhighly, very, completely, … prepositionto phrasesthe boundaries of acceptable…, the bounds of acceptable…, the limits of acceptable…, … See full entry
- 3 not very good but good enough The food was acceptable, but no more. opposite unacceptable Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French, from late Latin acceptabilis, from acceptare, frequentative of accipere ‘take something to oneself’, from ad- ‘to’ + capere ‘take’.Extra examples Are all political groups equally acceptable? Her breeding and background made her eminently acceptable in royal circles. Most people found the drink’s taste to be highly acceptable. These actions cannot be considered remotely acceptable in a civilized society. This crosses the boundaries of acceptable conduct. We must come up with a solution that our customers will find acceptable. Yogurt is a perfectly acceptable substitute for cream in cooking. a compromise that is acceptable to both sides a grammatically acceptable sentence an attempt to make the reforms acceptable to both sides socially acceptable behaviour socially acceptable terminology the only national newspaper even remotely acceptable to the left wing Air pollution in the city has reached four times the acceptable level. Children have to learn what is acceptable behaviour and what is not. Divorce is much more socially acceptable than it used to be. If you think their offer is acceptable, we’ll carry on with the sale. Inspectors found that teaching standards were acceptable, but could be improved. It’s just not acceptable to keep people locked up for so long without trial. To get on this course, a pass in English at grade B is acceptable. We need laws that are morally acceptable as well as effective. We want a solution that is acceptable to all parties.
Check pronunciation: acceptable
