employable

[ em-ploi-uh-buh l ]
/ ɛmˈplɔɪ ə bəl /

adjective

able to be employed; usable.
capable of holding a job and available for hire.

noun

a person who is able to work and is available to be hired.

Origin of employable

First recorded in 1685–95; employ + -able

OTHER WORDS FROM employable

em·ploy·a·bil·i·ty, noun

VOCAB BUILDER

What does employable mean?

Employable means available and able to be hired for a job, especially for long-term employment.

The verb employ means to pay someone to do work. In the most basic sense, employable means someone is available and able to be employed—to be an employee. But it’s most often used in a way that implies that a person is a desirable candidate for a job, meaning they have the skills and experience that the employer wants. The opposite of employable is unemployable, meaning unsuitable for employment.

Employ can also be used as another word for the verb use, and employable can also mean able to be used. 

Example: If you want to appear employable, you have to have a professional-looking résumé.

Where does employable come from?

The first records of the word employable come from around the 1600s. Its base word, the verb employ, is recorded earlier and derives from the Latin implicāre, meaning “to engage.”

When companies search for employees, they narrow the field to employable candidates. In the most basic sense, this often means people who are legally able to hold that job. But the most employable candidates are those who fit—or exceed—all the qualifications the company is seeking. Job seekers typically try to make themselves as employable as possible by acquiring education, training, experience, and relevant certifications. When a person is described as unemployable, it’s usually a very negative statement about how they’re not fit to hold a job in any way.

When employable is used to mean usable, it’s often employed in situations involving the use of something in a specific way or for a specific purpose, as in Those tactics are not employable in that type of environment.

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How is employable used in real life?

Employable is most commonly in the context of hiring qualified candidates for a job.

 

 

Try using employable!

Is employable used correctly in the following sentence?

We’ve received a lot of applications from a lot of very employable candidates.

Example sentences from the Web for employable