Obviable

Obviable is a neologism in English used to denote something that can be obviated—i.e., made unnecessary or avoided—through preventive action, design, or policy. As a coined term, it is not widely recognized by major dictionaries, and its use is mainly found in analytic writing, risk assessment, and speculative discussions.

The term is formed from the verb obviate, which means to remove a need or difficulty, with the suffix -able. The root obviate itself derives from Latin obviatus, from obvius meaning in the way or meeting.

In usage, obviable describes a condition, process, or requirement that could be eliminated or avoided entirely. It is related to but distinct from viable, which concerns potential success, and from obviate, the verb meaning to remove a need.

Examples include sentences such as, “If the system includes automatic error detection, the manual review becomes obviable,” and “Standardized workflows render many ad-hoc approvals obviable.” Because it is not standard, readers may misinterpret; in formal writing, synonyms such as avoidable or preventable may be preferred.

See also: obviate, avoidable, preventable, redundancy, simplification.