defendible

Defendible is an adjective meaning capable of being defended, justified, or protected against attack. The sense covers both arguments or positions that can be supported and physical or strategic stances that can be held against opposition. The word is formed from defend + the suffix -ible and is often treated as a variant spelling of defendable or defensible, though it remains less common in contemporary usage.

Etymology and usage notes: Defendable and defensible are the more widely used forms in modern English, particularly for abstract justification. Defendible appears in some dictionaries as an alternative, and may be encountered in older texts or specific regional or stylistic contexts. In general, defensible is the preferred term when referring to logical or legal justification, while defendable or defendible may appear in descriptions of physical or tactical positions.

Usage guidance: In legal or ethical writing, defensible is typically used to indicate that a decision or action can be justified under applicable principles or law. In discussions of military strategy, fortifications, or other protective contexts, defendable (or rarely defendible) can describe a position that can be held or a structure that can be defended, though defensible remains common in many domains.

Related terms and contrasts: Synonyms include defensible, justifiable, tenable, and maintainable. Antonyms include indefensible and untenable.

See also: defendable, defensible, defend, defense.