violable
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /vˈaɪələbəl/
US
- /ˈvaɪələbəl/
Description
- can be broken
- can be disobeyed
- not fully protected
- open to violation
The word "violable" is not usually about physical breaking. You would not normally call a glass vase "violable." Instead, it is used for things that can be disobeyed, ignored, crossed, or invaded: rules, laws, agreements, rights, borders, or personal boundaries. Think of a promise between friends. It is violable because someone may choose not to keep it. In the same way, a law is violable because people can disobey it, even though it is meant to be followed. The word often suggests that something needs respect or protection in order to remain safe. A contract is violable if its terms can be ignored, and someone's privacy is violable if it is not properly protected.
"Violable" describes something that can be broken, infringed upon, ignored, or entered without respect. It is rarely used in a physical sense. Instead, it usually applies to rules, laws, rights, agreements, borders, trust, privacy, and other things that can be wrongfully crossed or disregarded. The word suggests that the thing in question is open to being "violated," meaning that someone can act against it in a way that is considered wrong, harmful, or unfair.
A key distinction is that "violable" focuses on the possibility of being violated rather than the act itself. A broken law points to something that has already happened, while a violable law points to the fact that people are able to break it. This makes the word useful when talking about how strong or weak a system is. If a treaty is described as violable, for example, it may suggest that the agreement is real but not strongly protected or enforced.
The word often carries a serious tone. If something is violable, there is usually an implied need to protect it or uphold it. You may see it used for ideas such as human rights, personal privacy, sacred spaces, national borders, or trust between people. In essence, "violable" points to a line that exists, but one that can still be crossed.
Examples
- 1
Constitutional law
In constitutional law, even basic rights can be violable under emergency powers.
- 2
Digital privacy
The report warned that digital privacy is highly violable when companies store too much personal data.
- 3
Literary memory
For the novelist, memory is not sacred or fixed, but fragile and violable.
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- violableadjective