marketable
/ˈmɑː.kɪ.tə.bəl/ IELTSAcademic
adjective
Able to be sold easily, because people want it and it looks useful or attractive. It can also mean good enough to attract interest from employers, buyers, or investors.
- This product is very marketable.
- Her skills are highly marketable.
- They want a more marketable design.
Adinary Nuance
Marketable means easy to sell or likely to attract interest. It is more specific than popular, which only means liked by many people. It is also different from saleable or sellable, which focus more on whether something can be sold at all. In business and job-search writing, marketable often suggests value, demand, and appeal.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- có tính thương mại
- Spanish
- comercializable
- Chinese
- 有市场的
- Japanese
- 売り込みやすい
- Korean
- 상품성 있는
Etymology
Marketable comes from market and the suffix -able. It entered English in the late 16th century, meaning “fit to be sold.”
Common phrases
marketable skillsmarketable productmarketable ideahighly marketable
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is marketable a positive word?
- Yes. It usually means something has value and can attract buyers or interest.
- What is the difference between marketable and saleable?
- Marketable often suggests strong appeal or demand. Saleable means it can be sold, even if only barely.
- Can I use marketable for jobs and skills?
- Yes. People often say marketable skills for skills that employers want.
- Is marketable formal or informal?
- It is neutral to fairly formal. You often see it in business, academic, and job-related English.