write-offable
|write-off-a-ble|
🇺🇸
/ˈraɪtˌɔfəbl/
🇬🇧
/ˈraɪtˌɒfəbl/
capable of being removed from accounts or consideration
Etymology
'write-offable' originates from English, formed from the phrasal verb 'write off' plus the adjectival suffix '-able'; 'write' comes from Old English 'wrītan' meaning 'to inscribe/write,' 'off' from Old English 'of' meaning 'away/off,' and '-able' from Latin '-abilis' meaning 'capable of'.
'wrītan' and 'of' developed into Middle English 'writen' and 'of/off', yielding the modern phrasal verb 'write off'. The productive suffix '-able' was later attached in modern English to create the adjective 'write-offable'.
Initially used in financial contexts to mean 'capable of being removed from accounts as a loss or expense'; it later broadened figuratively to mean 'dismissible or not worth pursuing'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
able to be written off in accounting or tax treatment (e.g., expensed, charged off, or otherwise removed from the books).
The obsolete equipment is write-offable this fiscal year.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Adjective 2
informal: Dismissible; considered not worth further effort, attention, or investment.
After the PR disaster, the product seemed write-offable to the board.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/08/10 01:26