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curable

C2
Uncommon

Pronunciation

UK

  • /kjˈɔːrəbəl/

US

  • /ˈkjʊrəbəl/

Meanings

Adjective

  1. able to be healed or successfully treated

  2. able to be corrected, fixed, or put right

Beyond the definition

Something that is curable can be healed or completely resolved with treatment. Not everything is curable—while many infections are, the common cold famously has no cure. The word implies there is a clear path to recovery, a way to make someone well again. Think of a simple bacterial infection: it’s often curable with the right medicine. A historical example? Tuberculosis was once a terrifying, often fatal disease, but today it is considered curable with a course of antibiotics. We use this term for conditions where health can be fully restored rather than only managed.

Examples

  1. 1

    Infection treatment

    Doctors said the infection was curable with antibiotics.

  2. 2

    Early diagnosis

    She felt calmer after learning that her condition was curable if they caught it early.

  3. 3

    Likely outcome

    This type of cancer is highly curable in children.

See also

Similar

  • remediable
  • healable

Shades of meaning

Contrast

Used with (collocations)

  • curable disease
  • curable condition
  • curable cancer

Word family

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Forms and spellings

1 form open this card.

Main spelling

  • curableadjective