WordGarden.iointerpretable
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Meanings
Adjective
able to be understood or explained as having a particular meaning
describing a model, system, or result whose behavior can be understood by people
Beyond the definition
Something is interpretable when you can make sense of it and see how it works, not just look at the final result. Think of a simple recipe versus a page full of symbols from a chemistry book. The recipe is interpretable: you can follow each step and understand why each ingredient is there. The page of symbols may not be.
The word is often used for writing, data, charts, rules, and computer models. In artificial intelligence, for example, people often want a system to be interpretable so they can understand why it gave a certain answer. That helps people trust it and spot possible mistakes.
The word "interpretable" describes something that can be understood in a meaningful way. It suggests a certain amount of clarity or transparency: you can see how a result, message, or decision was reached, not just observe the end result. It is often used when people want more than a surface-level answer and want to follow the logic behind it.
It can be used in many settings. A text may be interpretable if its meaning is clear. A graph may be interpretable if a reader can tell what the trends show. A set of rules may be interpretable if people can apply them without confusion. In each case, the idea is the same: the meaning is available to the human mind and not hidden behind needless complexity.
The word is also common in machine learning and data science. There, an interpretable model is one that people can understand. If a system denies a loan application, for example, an interpretable model can show why, such as a low credit score or not enough income. This is different from a "black box" system that gives an answer without showing the path that led to it.
This matters for more than simple clarity. In high-stakes areas such as medicine, finance, or law, people often need decisions and evidence to be interpretable so they can check fairness, accuracy, and reliability.
So whether you are reading a difficult passage, studying data, or judging the output of an algorithm, "interpretable" points to something that a person can understand, explain, and work with. It is about clarity, access, and being able to see not only what happened, but also how and why it happened.
Examples
- 1
Clear chart
The chart is interpretable even without the long explanation.
- 2
Research data
The results were only interpretable after the researchers cleaned the data.
- 3
Medical AI
We need an interpretable model so doctors can understand each decision.
- 4
Survey context
The survey answers are not interpretable without knowing the questions people were asked.
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Possible meaning
His silence was interpretable as agreement, but I was not sure that was what he meant.
- Patterninterpretable as + meaning
possible to understand in that way
See also
Similar
Shades of meaning
- decipherable
- legible
- transparent
Contrast
Used with (collocations)
- interpretable model
- interpretable results
- interpretable as
Word family
- interpret
- interpretability
Explore
- explainability
- semantic meaning
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- interpretableadjective