Etymologically
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enjoyable

Etymology and origin of the English word enjoyable

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1645

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɪnˈdʒɔɪ.ə.bəl/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from enjoy and -able.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Capable of being enjoyed: 1645 in the OED, the 1640s in Etymonline.[3][2]

Semantic evolution

Giving pleasure, delightful, is from 1744.[2][3]

Timeline

  • 1645 – capable of being enjoyed.[3]
  • 1744 – delightful.[2][3]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Giving pleasure or enjoyment: an enjoyable afternoon.
  2. Capable of being enjoyed.

Word family

  • enjoyableness
  • enjoyably
  • unenjoyable

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Enjoyable.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/enjoyable. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·