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
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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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Recent Examples of defensible
These include defensible space requirements and home hardening measures in new construction, for example using ignition-resistant building materials, covering vents that could allow embers to enter the home and installing multi-paned or fire-resistant windows.
—
Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 25 Mar. 2025
If there’s a sense (and perhaps a fair one) that this film was doomed from the start, why not work to make something creatively defensible?
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2025
There’s a sense that companies are obeying in advance, even when DEI efforts are legally defensible.
—Aparna Rae, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
In 2020, California lawmakers passed a law making defensible space mandatory in high-risk areas, but the law was never implemented and regulations still haven’t been written.
—Natalie Donback, TIME, 17 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defensible
Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 25 Mar. 2025
If there’s a sense (and perhaps a fair one) that this film was doomed from the start, why not work to make something creatively defensible?
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2025
There’s a sense that companies are obeying in advance, even when DEI efforts are legally defensible.
—Aparna Rae, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
In 2020, California lawmakers passed a law making defensible space mandatory in high-risk areas, but the law was never implemented and regulations still haven’t been written.
—Natalie Donback, TIME, 17 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defensible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defensible
justifiable
Adjective
-
Our involvement in the war was justifiable, and this belongs to our sovereign rights.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 May 2025
-
These cultures tend to view divorce as a justifiable and often necessary step toward self-fulfillment.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
16 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defensible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defensible. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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