Anwendbar

Anwendbar is a German adjective meaning capable of being applied or used in practice. It is used to describe methods, tools, principles, rules, or laws that can be employed in a given context. In scientific, technical, and legal writing, phrases such as anwendbare Methode or anwendbares Recht are common. The corresponding noun is Anwendbarkeit, which denotes applicability or usability.

Etymology and morphology: Anwendbar is formed from the verb anwenden (to apply) plus the adjectival suffix -bar, which yields a word meaning “able to be applied.” It behaves like other -bar adjectives in German and is declined to agree with the noun it modifies: eine anwendbare Methode, das anwendbare Recht, das anwendbare Modell.

Usage notes: The term emphasizes contextual suitability rather than universal truth. An item may be anwendbar in one situation and not in another. The negation is nicht anwendbar; in some contexts, phrases such as unter bestimmten Bedingungen anwendbar are used to indicate conditional applicability. Related terms include Anwendbarkeit (applicability) and Anwendung (application), while synonyms and near-synonyms include einsetzbar, praktikabel, and brauchbar, each with slightly different nuance.

Context and nuance: Anwendbar is common in law, science, engineering, and policy writing to indicate that a method, rule, or law can be applied to the subject at hand. It does not guarantee effectiveness, only relevance or feasibility in the given context.

Examples: Die vorgeschlagene Methode ist in diesem Experiment anwendbar. Das anwendbare Recht in diesem Fall ist das geltende Steuerrecht.