- rather large or great in size, distance, extent, etc.: It cost a considerable amount. We took a considerable length of time to decide.
- worthy of respect, attention, etc.; important; distinguished: a considerable person.
- Informal. much; not a little: He has done considerable for the community.
- Nonstandard: Older Use. considerably; noticeably; much: I'm feeling considerable better now.
Origin of considerable
Examples from the Web for considerable
We were on it for forty minutes of the film, a considerable part of our schedule.Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days
December 13, 2014
That is thanks in considerable part to the cops, no matter what else is said about a few of them.Synagogue Slay: When Cops Have to Kill
December 10, 2014
The series was cancelled after one season, but Leto had already proven his considerable talent.Renaissance Man Jared Leto Defies Categorization
The Daily Beast
December 8, 2014
According to James Madison, there was “a considerable pause.”Why We Can’t Quit Calling Presidents ‘Kings’
November 22, 2014
He finishes off the task he has set himself here with considerable precision and skill.How WWI Produced the Holocaust
November 21, 2014
He had uttered his own practical unbelief, however, with considerable accuracy.Weighed and Wanting
A considerable portion of the land hereabouts is cultivated.The Roof of France
His father and mother were in considerable perplexity about him.Biographical Stories
She had, in fact, graduated from a girls' school of considerable repute.Quaint Courtships
The bench was of considerable width--probably a mile at this point.The Leopard Woman
Stewart Edward White
- large enough to reckon witha considerable quantity
- a lot of; muchhe had considerable courage
- worthy of respecta considerable man in the scientific world
Word Origin and History for considerable
mid-15c., "capable of being considered," from Medieval Latin considerabilis "worthy to be considered," from Latin considerare (see consider). Meaning "pretty large" is from 1640s (implied in considerably).
CONSIDERABLE. This word is still frequently used in the manner out by Dr. Witherspoon in the following remark: "He is considerable of a surveyor; considerable of it may found in the country. This manner of speaking in the northern parts." [Pickering, 1816]