reprobable

Reprobable is an adjective used in English to describe something or someone worthy of reproach or condemnation; it denotes conduct that is deserving of censure or rejection. The term tends to appear in formal, historical, or theological contexts and is less common in everyday speech than reproachable or reprehensible.

Etymology traces reprobable to Latin reprobabilis, from reprobare “to disapprove, reject,” with the suffix -bilis meaning “able to be.” In English, it has acquired a sense closely aligned with “deserving of reproach,” though its use remains relatively rare and somewhat archaic in modern prose.

In secular writing, reprobable typically refers to actions or attitudes that justify censure, as in statements that certain tactics are reprobable. In religious or philosophical discourse, the term often appears in discussions of condemnation or rejection, including the related noun reprobation, which denotes the act or state of being rejected, especially in doctrinal contexts about salvation and grace.

Relations to related terms include reprovable, meaning capable of being reproved, and reproachable, which more commonly conveys fault that invites blame. Reprobate, while etymologically linked, is more frequently used as a noun or adjective to denote a morally corrupt person or a person rejected by divine favor; reprobable can share the sense of condemnability without necessarily carrying the same strong doctrinal weight.

Overall, reprobable is a precise but uncommon term for indicating condemnability or deserving of rebuke, often replaced by clearer alternatives in contemporary writing. See also: reproach, reprehensible, condemnable, reprobation, reprobate.