from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Answerable \An"swer*a*ble\, a.
1. Obliged to answer; liable to be called to account; liable
to pay, indemnify, or make good; accountable; amenable;
responsible; as, an agent is answerable to his principal;
to be answerable for a debt, or for damages.
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Will any man argue that . . . he can not be justly
punished, but is answerable only to God? --Swift.
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2. Capable of being answered or refuted; admitting a
satisfactory answer.
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The argument, though subtle, is yet answerable.
--Johnson.
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3. Correspondent; conformable; hence, comparable.
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What wit and policy of man is answerable to their
discreet and orderly course? --Holland.
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This revelation . . . was answerable to that of the
apostle to the Thessalonians. --Milton.
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4. Proportionate; commensurate; suitable; as, an achievement
answerable to the preparation for it.
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5. Equal; equivalent; adequate. [Archaic]
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Had the valor of his soldiers been answerable, he
had reached that year, as was thought, the utmost
bounds of Britain. --Milton.
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