adjective

explicable

ik-SPLIK-uh-buhl/ɪkˈsplɪkəbl/

Able to be explained or understood.

The brake failure is explicable once the mechanic identifies the problem.

Bicycle mechanic explaining an identifiable brake problem.

Etymology

exLatinout

+plicLatinto fold

+ableLatincapable of being

Something explicable is literally capable of being unfolded or unraveled. The physical image became an intellectual one: what can be opened out can be made clear to the understanding.

In context

meaw meaw69:30

they turned out to be either exaggerated or misreported or perfectly explicable by ordinary causes

The Sinister Fate of the USS Cyclops: 309 Men Who Vanished Without a Single Trace

More examples

The delay is easily explicable: two delivery trucks broke down.
His reluctance to swim is explicable given his fear of deep water.
The pattern becomes explicable when we compare the two maps.

Forms

explicable

explicate verb — To explain something carefully and in detail.

Similar words

explainable: A more everyday word for something that can be explained.
understandable: Often describes feelings or reactions that seem reasonable.
comprehensible: Emphasizes being understandable rather than having an identifiable explanation.