Potable
What it means
Safe and suitable for people to drink.
Reach for it when making a precise safety claim about water or another liquid
After laboratory testing, the hillside spring was declared potable.
Words to choose between 5
| playful | |
|---|---|
| everyday | |
| professional |
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| formal |
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playful
drink-worthy
Suits an informal judgment that includes palatability
Careful Drink-worthy is not a safety standard and should never replace testing.
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everyday
Fits when plain language should confirm that a liquid can be consumed
Careful Drinkable can also mean merely tolerable in taste and may not certify safety.
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everyday
safe to drink
Fits if an unmistakable public instruction matters more than brevity
Careful Safe to drink is clear but cannot serve every compact technical label.
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professional
treated
Fits if a process has been applied to improve water quality
Careful Treated water is not automatically potable unless the treatment succeeded.
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formal
Fits when water is healthful and free from harmful contamination
Careful Wholesome is old-fashioned for water and can suggest moral goodness elsewhere.
Opposites 3
- nonpotable
- contaminated
- undrinkable
Common phrases 3
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potable water
Each shelter stored enough potable water for three days.
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make water potable
Boiling alone may not make water potable when some chemicals are present.
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potable supply
The new well restored a dependable potable supply to the island.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Vealhurl, Southern England accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated