dependable

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *de

Proto-Indo-European *-h₁

Proto-Indo-European *déh₁

Proto-Italic *dē

Latin dē

Latin dē-

Proto-Indo-European *(s)pend-

Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti

Proto-Indo-European *-yeti

Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁yeti

Proto-Indo-European *(s)pn̥d-éh₁ye-ti

Proto-Italic *pendējō

Proto-Italic *pendēō

Latin pendeō

Latin dependeōder.

Old French dependreder.

Middle English dependen

English depend

Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlom

Proto-Italic *-ðlom

Proto-Italic *-ðlis

Latin -bilis

Latin -ābilis

Old French -ablebor.

Middle English -able

English -able

English dependable

From depend + -able.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): [dɪˈpɛndəbəɫ]

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

dependable (comparative more dependable, superlative most dependable)

1. Able, or easily able to be depended on.

   He was a very dependable person.

Synonyms

• (literary) stalwart
• sure
• yeomanly

Derived terms

• dependableness
• dependably
• undependable

Translations

able to be depended on

• Belarusian: надзе́йны (nadzjéjny)
• Bulgarian: надежден (bg) (nadežden), непоколебим (bg) (nepokolebim), сигурен (bg) (siguren)
• Catalan: acèrrim, fiable (ca)
• Czech: spolehlivý (cs) m
• Danish: pålidelig, driftsikker
• Dutch: betrouwbaar (nl)
• Finnish: luotettava (fi), vankkumaton (fi)
• French: fiable (fr)
• German: ausdauernd (de), beharrlich (de), verlässlich (de), zuverlässig (de)
• Hebrew: מהימן (he)
• Ido: ferma (io)
• Italian: affidabile (it), fermo (it)
• Latin: fīdus
• Macedonian: доверлив (doverliv)
• Malay: kuat (ms)
• Manx: barrantagh
• Māori: hākirikiri, horopū, ngākau pono, titikaha, tōmau
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: trofast (no)

• Occitan: fisable (oc)
• Polish: niezawodny (pl)
• Portuguese: confiável (pt), forte (pt)
• Romanian: fiabil (ro) m
• Russian: надёжный (ru) (nadjóžnyj)
• Sanskrit: दृढ (sa) (dṛḍha)
• Scottish Gaelic: seasmhach
• Spanish: fiable (es), firme (es), dependible
• Swedish: pålitlig (sv), ståndaktig (sv)
• Turkish: güvenilir (tr), itimada şayan (obsolete), itimat edilir
• Ukrainian: наді́йний (nadíjnyj)
• Uyghur: پۇختا (puxta)

Noun

dependable (plural dependables)

1. A reliable person or thing.
   • 2009 June 7, Jeff Z. Klein, “At Full Strength, Red Wings Dominate”, in The New York Times‎^[1], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 3 October 2025:

     But Datsyuk’s return rejuvenated the old dependables like Rafalski, Lidstrom and Marian Hossa, who consistently outshone Malkin and Crosby.

Translations

a person who can be relied upon

• Māori: pouwhirinaki