1
as in defendable
capable of being defended against physical attack
the pioneers retreated to a defensible hillside to take a stand against the raiders
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in justifiable
capable of being defended with good reasoning against verbal attack
there's simply no defensible reason for dropping out of school
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of defensible
Firing a losing president of baseball operations is defensible as long as ownership has a plan.
—
Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 7 July 2025
Like many former holdouts, Kevin felt that his judicious use of A.I. was more defensible than his peers’ use of it.
—Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
Vegetation is cleaned up to reduce potential wildfire fuel and create defensible space around park structures, trails and areas close to homes.
—Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 25 June 2025
The rationale for signing Dobbins is perfectly defensible.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for defensible
Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 7 July 2025
Like many former holdouts, Kevin felt that his judicious use of A.I. was more defensible than his peers’ use of it.
—Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
Vegetation is cleaned up to reduce potential wildfire fuel and create defensible space around park structures, trails and areas close to homes.
—Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 25 June 2025
The rationale for signing Dobbins is perfectly defensible.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for defensible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defensible
justifiable
Adjective
-
Unlike earlier studies that uncovered evasion or deception, this research exposed a more alarming phenomenon: models calculating that unethical behavior was a justifiable strategy for survival.—
Hamilton Mann,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2025
-
Murder, then, has already been established as a justifiable means of protection.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
27 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defensible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defensible. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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