preferível

Preferível is a Portuguese adjective meaning preferable or more desirable. It indicates that one option, behavior, or outcome is favored over another under given conditions. Etymology traces back to the verb preferir and the suffix -ível, from Latin factors such as praeferribilis, later simplified to preferível in Portuguese.

Usage and grammar: Preferível is used to describe nouns or to express judgments and recommendations. The common impersonal construction is “É preferível …” followed by a clause or noun phrase, for example: “É preferível seguir as instruções,” “É preferível manter a calma.” The form is invariable for gender in singular (masculine and feminine share the same form): uma opção preferível, o caminho preferível. In plural, use “preferíveis.”

Comparisons: The concept can be intensified with mais, as in “mais preferível,” but many style guides consider this pleonástico or stylistically awkward. In such cases, clearer alternatives are often preferred, such as “mais adequado,” “mais conveniente,” or simply maintaining a single form of preferível depending on context.

Related terms: The verb related is preferir; the noun forms include preferência and preferível, used to denote preference or the act of preferring. In usage, preferível often appears in advisory or evaluative contexts, where a recommended choice is presented as the more desirable option.

See also: preferir, preferência, adequado, conveniente.