inhabitable

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈhæbɪtəbəl/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈhæbɪtəbəl/
• Hyphenation: in‧hab‧it‧a‧ble

Etymology 1

From inhabit +‎ -able.

Adjective

inhabitable (comparative more inhabitable, superlative most inhabitable)

1. Fit to live in; habitable.
   • a. 1704, John Locke, “Elements of Natural Philosophy”, in A Collection of Several Pieces of Mr. John Locke, London: J. Bettenham for R. Francklin, published 1710, pages 190–191:

     It is more ſuitable to the wiſdom, power and greatneſs of God, to think that the fixt Stars are all of them Suns, with Syſtems of inhabitable Planets moving about them, to whoſe Inhabitants he diſplays the marks of his Goodneſs as well as to us […]

Usage notes

While the usage is obsolete, inhabitable can also be an antonym of habitable and have the opposite meaning to that intended. Where such confusion might arise, one may prefer to use habitable or another synonym. Compare inflammable.

Antonyms

• uninhabitable
• unhabitable

Derived terms

• noninhabitable

Translations

fit to live in

• Bulgarian: подходящ за живеене (podhodjašt za živeene)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 家居的

• Czech: obyvatelný (cs)
• Dutch: bewoonbaar (nl)
• Esperanto: enloĝebla
• Finnish: asumiskelpoinen
• French: habitable (fr)
• German: bewohnbar (de)
• Greek: κατοικήσιμος (el) m (katoikísimos)
• Hindi: वासयोग्य (vāsyogya)
• Hungarian: lakható (hu)
• Italian: abitabile (it)
• Polish: nadający się do zamieszkania
• Swedish: beboelig (sv)

Etymology 2

From Middle English inhabitable, inhabytabill, from Middle French inhabitable and its etymon Latin inhabitābilis (“uninhabitable”). By surface analysis, in- +‎ habitable.

Adjective

inhabitable (comparative more inhabitable, superlative most inhabitable)

1. (obsolete) Not habitable; not suitable to be inhabited.
   • 1595 December 9 (first known performance), [William Shakespeare], The Tragedie of King Richard the Second. […] (First Quarto), London: […] Valentine Simmes for Androw Wise, […], published 1597, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i], signature A3, recto:

     […] Which to maintaine, I would allow him ods, / And meete him were I tied to runne afoote, / Euen to the frozen ridges of the Alpes, / Or any other ground inhabitable, / Where euer Engliſhman durſt ſet his foote, […]

Usage notes

Inhabitable can also be an antonym of uninhabitable and have the opposite meaning to that intended. Where such confusion might arise, one may prefer to use uninhabitable or another synonym. Compare uninteresting. Fortunately, this opposite meaning is obsolete and the sense of "suitable for life" is far more prevalent today.

French

Etymology

From Middle French inhabitable, from Latin inhabitābilis (“uninhabitable”). By surface analysis, in- +‎ habitable.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /i.na.bi.tabl/
• Rhymes: -abl
• Homophone: inhabitables

Adjective

inhabitable (plural inhabitables)

1. uninhabitable

Further reading

• “inhabitable”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /inabiˈtable/ [i.na.β̞iˈt̪a.β̞le]
• Rhymes: -able
• Syllabification: in‧ha‧bi‧ta‧ble

Adjective

inhabitable m or f (masculine and feminine plural inhabitables)

1. uninhabitable

   Antonym: habitable

Further reading

• “inhabitable”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10