qualifiable

Qualifiable is an adjective describing something that can be qualified. In analytic and scholarly usage, to qualify a statement means to restrict, limit, or condition its scope by adding qualifiers such as “usually,” “under certain conditions,” or “in some cases.” Accordingly, a claim or proposition that is qualifiable is one whose truth conditions or applicability can be made more precise through qualifiers. In a different sense, qualifiable can describe a person, program, or item that meets the criteria to receive a qualification or credential; such usage appears in administrative or credentialing contexts where candidates are described as qualifiable for admission or certification.

Usage and nuance: The term is more common in technical or formal writing. In everyday English, people often use “qualified” to indicate that a claim has been tempered or narrowed, or “eligible” to indicate meeting credential standards. Some writers distinguish between qualifying a statement (modifying its scope) and qualifying for credentials (meeting standards); in such cases, “qualifiable” is mainly used in contexts where either sense may apply, or where both senses are relevant.

Etymology: Qualifiable derives from the verb qualify with the suffix -able, ultimately tracing back to Latin qualis meaning “of what kind.” The sense of capability inherent in the suffix is preserved in both the logical and credentialing uses of the term.

See also: qualification, qualified, qualifier, qualify.