Touchable

Touchable is an adjective in English meaning capable of being touched. It describes objects that can be physically felt or grasped, i.e., tangible or palpable. In everyday use, a touchable surface is one you can grab or feel; in figurative use, it can refer to something that can be experienced directly or verified by touch. The term derives from touch plus the suffix -able.

The concept of touchable contrasts with intangible or abstract ideas. A related word is untouchable, which can carry additional figurative or social meanings and may be considered offensive in some contexts; care should be taken with its use.

In information technology and user interface design, touchable refers to elements that respond to touch input on a touchscreen device. Such elements are designed to be large enough for finger taps, provide clear feedback, and remain accessible to users with varying dexterity. Some development frameworks offer explicit touchable components for handling tap or press gestures. For example, certain mobile app toolkits describe components that register onPress events as touchables. In general, designers aim to make touchable controls easy to discover and operate by touch rather than by precise pointing devices.

See also: tangible, palpable, tactile, haptics, touch screen.