recoverable

Everyday

1. Able to be got back after being lost, deleted or stolen. tree →
2. (of a person or an illness) Able to get better. tree →
3. (money) Able to be paid back or claimed back. tree →

In the lessons

In computing and everyday life it often describes lost files, photos or money: «the file is recoverable» means there is still hope. In stories it tells the reader that the situation is not hopeless. In science and the environment, «recoverable oil» is oil that can be taken out of the ground. Phrases: «fully recoverable», «not recoverable», «recoverable from».

Examples

• Don't panic, the deleted homework is recoverable from the bin folder. tree →
• The doctor said the damage to his knee was recoverable. tree →
• Only half of the lost money was recoverable. tree →
• Is the data on this broken phone recoverable? tree →
• The ship sank so deep that it was not recoverable. tree →
• The costs of the trip are recoverable if it is cancelled. tree →
• Most mistakes in a draft are easily recoverable. tree →

Note

Built from «recover» + «-able» (able to be recovered). Opposite: «unrecoverable» or «irrecoverable». Used about things more than people. It is an adjective, so it comes after «is» or before a noun: «a recoverable file».