Laudable

WORD OF THE DAY

laudable / adjective / LAW-duh-bul

Definition

1: worthy of praise 

2: commendable

Examples

Thanks to the laudable efforts of dozens of volunteers, the town's Winter Carnival was an enjoyable event for everyone.

"Exposing your children to art and culture during Miami Art Week is a laudable idea. Letting a pack of 6-year-olds run around through the crowded aisles of Art Miami is something entirely different." 

— Connie Ogle, The Miami Herald, 11 Dec. 2017

Did You Know?

Both laudable and laudatory derive ultimately from Latin laud- or laus, meaning "praise." Laudable and laudatory differ in meaning, however, and usage commentators warn against using them interchangeably. 

Laudable means "deserving praise" or "praiseworthy," as in "laudable efforts to help the disadvantaged." Laudatory means "giving praise" or "expressing praise," as in "a laudatory book review." 

People occasionally use laudatory in place of laudable, but this use is not considered standard.