wearable
B2Common in everyday, business, and technical contexts, especially with the rise of technology.
Definition
Meaning
Designed to be worn on the body, often referring to items of clothing or technology.
Pertaining to technology or electronics integrated into items that can be comfortably worn, such as smartwatches or fitness trackers, facilitating connectivity and data collection.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
In fashion, it simply means 'able to be worn'. In tech, it has become a noun ("wearables") denoting a category of devices.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in core meaning. The term 'wearable tech' is slightly more common in UK marketing, while 'wearables' as a standalone noun is dominant in US tech discourse.
Connotations
Neutral in both. In fashion contexts, it can imply practicality and comfort.
Frequency
Higher frequency in tech and business contexts globally post-2010.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[be] + wearable[make] + something + wearable[design] + something + to be wearableVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “The future is wearable (tech catchphrase)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to a growing market sector for electronic devices worn on the body.
Academic
Used in studies on human-computer interaction, healthcare monitoring, and smart textiles.
Everyday
Describes comfortable clothing or popular tech like smartwatches.
Technical
Pertains to devices with sensors, connectivity, and computing power integrated into apparel or accessories.
Examples
By Part of Speech
noun
British English
- The shop specialises in health trackers and other wearables.
- Sales of wearables have overtaken those of traditional watches.
American English
- The latest wearables can monitor your blood oxygen levels.
- Investors are bullish on the wearables market.
adjective
British English
- The new smart ring is surprisingly discreet and wearable.
- Her avant-garde designs are beautiful but not always wearable for everyday life.
American English
- This lightweight jacket is the perfect wearable layer for hiking.
- The focus is on creating wearable tech that people actually want to use.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I bought a wearable fitness tracker.
- Is this dress wearable for a party?
- The company launched its most comfortable wearable device yet.
- The fabric is soft and very wearable in warm weather.
- Advances in battery life are making wearable computers more practical.
- The exhibition features wearable art that challenges the boundary between clothing and sculpture.
- Ethical concerns regarding data collection by wearables are increasingly debated.
- The prototype represents a paradigm shift in wearable biomedical diagnostics.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
WEAR + ABLE = You are ABLE to WEAR it.
Conceptual Metaphor
TECHNOLOGY IS CLOTHING / THE BODY IS AN INTERFACE
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Не путать с "износостойкий" (wear-resistant/durable). "Wearable" — это "носимый", пригодный для ношения, а не прочный.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'wearable' to mean 'durable' (e.g., 'This fabric is very wearable' can be ambiguous; better: 'This fabric wears well').
- Pronouncing it as /wɪərəbəl/ instead of /ˈweərəbl̩/.
Practice
Quiz
Which sentence uses 'wearable' correctly as a noun?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, its primary meaning is simply 'able to be worn' (e.g., wearable fabric). However, its use as a noun ('wearables') is almost exclusively for technology.
'Portable' means easy to carry or move. 'Wearable' specifically means designed to be worn on the body. A laptop is portable; a smartwatch is wearable.
Yes, especially in the plural ('wearables'), it commonly refers to wearable electronic devices as a category.
In both UK and US English, the stress is on the first syllable: WEAR-uh-bul. The main vowel is the same as in 'air' (/eə/ in UK, /er/ in US).