vertretbares

Vertretbares is the attributive neuter form of the German adjective vertretbar. The term is used to describe something that can be defended, justified, or accepted in a given context. In everyday language, vertretbar often equates to “defensible” or “reasonable”; in technical or ethical discussions the same sense is common, as in statements like “eine vertretbare Lösung” (a defensible/justifiable solution). A secondary, less frequent nuance is the idea of substitutability or replaceability, where a thing is considered vertretbar as an option among alternatives, though this sense is more typical in specialized contexts and may be expressed more commonly with terms such as austauschbar.

Etymology and form: vertretbar is formed from the verb vertreten meaning to represent or substitute, plus the suffix -bar, which yields “able to be” in the sense of capable of being defended or substituted. The form vertretbares is used in definite or indefinite noun phrases to agree with a neuter singular noun, for example “ein vertretbares Argument” or “das vertretbare Risiko.”

Usage and context: The word appears in philosophy, law, policy discourse, and everyday speech. With the predicate “Es ist vertretbar,” one indicates that a course of action or justification is reasonable. In more technical writing, it may appear in statements about alternatives or comparisons, where several options are described as vertretbar, though clarity often favors more precise terms like “vertretbare Lösung” or “austauschbare Bauteile.”

See also: Vertretbarkeit, Rechtfertigung, Begründung, austauschbar.