adaptable
Other forms: adaptably
Something that is adaptable can change to fit its environment, whether that environment is natural or social. The level to which a species is adaptable to changing surroundings is an important factor in the study of evolution.
Let’s look at the Latin word adaptāre, from the root aptus "fitted." The ad- means "to, while the aptare means "join." Since 15th-century medieval French, the word adapt has come to mean "to fit in or adjust." So something adaptable is something that "fits in or adjusts." An example of an adaptable creature is the arctic fox, whose fur changes from dirt-dark in summer to snow-white in winter, to better blend in with its surroundings.
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capable of adapting (of becoming or being made suitable) to a particular situation or use“to succeed one must be adaptable”“the frame was adaptable to cloth bolts of different widths”synonyms:adjustablecapable of being changed so as to match or fitall-mainsused of a radio receiver that is adaptable to all voltagesconvertibledesigned to be changed from one use or form to anotherfilmable(used of a story or literary work) capable of being adapted to motion picture formuniversaladapted to various purposes, sizes, forms, operationsvariable(used of a device) designed so that a property (as e.g. light) can be variedantonyms:unadaptablenot adaptable
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Vocabulary lists containing adaptable
The suffix -able means "able to be." All of the words on this list are learnable — so go to it!
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