accessible
- 1Easy to access or approach; able to be reached without much difficulty.
The summit is accessible by a well-marked trail on the eastern slope.
She keeps her tools accessible on a pegboard above the workbench.
Similarapproachable
Oppositeinaccessible, unreachable
Note
The root sense still shows in the etymology. Late Latin accessibilis comes from accēdō, "approach," and the word reached English through French by 1400. Places and objects are its home: a town, a mountain, tools within reach. It also stretches to whatever inquiry can get at, as when Eddington wrote in 1926 that the sun's deep interior seemed less accessible to scientific investigation than any other region.
- 2Built or designed so that people with disabilities can use it.
Every restroom on the first floor is accessible to wheelchair users.
The airline redesigned its website to be accessible to travelers who use screen readers.
Oppositeinaccessible
Note
A narrowing of the general "easy to reach" meaning. Here the obstacle is a barrier to people with disabilities, not distance or terrain. It applies as readily to screens as to buildings: an accessible website, accessible public transport. Because the real question is always who can use the thing, it is often followed by to and the people served.
- 3Of art, writing, or media: easily understood or appreciated.
Critics praised the novel as accessible despite its experimental structure.
His documentaries make dense political history accessible to casual viewers.
Similarunderstandable, comprehensible, approachable, intelligible, readable
Oppositeimpenetrable, incomprehensible, obscure, abstruse
Note
A critic's word, used of books, films and music alike. Rose Bretécher's Pure (2015) applies it to the electro dance pop streaming out of Paris. It usually praises clarity and broad appeal, but in reviews it can also be faintly dismissive, hinting that a work asks little of its audience. Pairing it with despite, as in accessible despite its experimental structure, keeps the compliment unambiguous.
- 4Obtainable; able to be gotten or reached when needed.
Affordable childcare is accessible to only a few families in the county.
Spare parts for the older model are still accessible through specialty suppliers.
Similaravailable, obtainable, attainable
Oppositeunavailable, unobtainable, unattainable
- 5Capable of being used or seen; open to use or view.
Court records are accessible to the public upon written request.
The shared drive is accessible to every employee in the department.
Oppositerestricted, closed, unavailable, private
- 6Easy to get along with; approachable and easy to talk to.
Despite his fame, the author remained accessible, chatting with fans after every reading.
Students describe the dean as accessible, willing to meet with anyone who knocks.
Similarfriendly, welcoming, easy-going
Oppositeunapproachable, aloof, distant, remote
- 7Open to the influence of something, such as an emotion, argument, or appeal.
A jury accessible to emotional appeals may overlook weak evidence.
He remained accessible to reason even in the heat of the argument.
Similaropen, receptive, susceptible, amenable, responsive
Oppositeimpervious, resistant, closed, deaf
Note
In this sense the word takes to, and what follows is a force acting on someone rather than a visitor arriving, as in Macaulay's "minds accessible to reason." That object tells it apart from the sense of reaching a place, where to names whoever arrives. Reason, argument and appeal are its natural partners. The phrase usually describes a temperament: a person open to being moved, not merely reachable.
Practice
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Origin
First recorded around 1400, it came from French, from Late Latin accessibilis, which traces back to accēdō, meaning "to approach."