surmountable

[ser-moun-tuh-buhl]

adjective

1. (of a difficulty or challenge) able to be overcome; manageable.

   The task of reducing corruption is daunting, to say the least, but the challenges are surmountable.

2. (of a physical barrier or high place) able to be climbed or to be gotten past or over.

   The low mountain range acts as a surmountable geographical barrier between the two regions, allowing access but still creating regional identities.

Other Word Forms

• surmountableness noun
• unsurmountable adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of surmountable¹

surmount ( def. ) + -able ( def. )

Example Sentences

Zemeckis’ best picture winner is part of a long Hollywood tradition of looking at bigotry and segregation as all but solved or surmountable due to the grace and benevolence of individual white people.

From Salon

Ordeals, such as they are, tend to be minor and surmountable; notions that everything is lost amount of misunderstandings.

From Salon

The hill was surmountable, in my view, with a more compelling narrative and a bolder, more transformative set of ideas.

From Salon

“If you believe you have the capacity to cope, you transform stress into a surmountable challenge,” says James Gross, a psychology professor at Stanford University who researches emotion regulation.

From Los Angeles Times

And then, if that playoff gap isn’t more surmountable midweek, deal more players by Friday.

From Seattle Times