reversible

See also: réversible

English

Etymology

Probably from Middle French, equivalent to reverse +‎ -ible.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɹəˈvɜː(ɹ)sɪbəl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

reversible (not comparable)

1. Able to be reversed.
   • 1960 June, “Talking of Trains: Sunday on the G.N. line”, in Trains Illustrated, page 322:

     [...] the Welwyn bottleneck will be relaid with high-speed turnouts and resignalled for reversible working.

2. (of clothing) Able to be worn inside out.
3. (chemistry, of a chemical reaction) Capable of proceeding in either direction.
4. (physics, of a phase change) Capable of returning to the original state.
5. (thermodynamics) Capable of returning to the original state without consumption of free energy and increase of entropy.
6. (law) Providing sufficient reason for a court decision to be overturned on appeal.

Antonyms

• irreversible

Derived terms

• bireversible
• endoreversible
• irreversible
• microreversible
• nonreversible
• photoreversible
• pseudoreversible
• quasireversible
• reversibility
• thermoreversible
• unreversible

Translations

able to be reversed

• Bulgarian: обратим (bg) (obratim)
• Catalan: reversible
• Czech: vratný (cs)
• Dutch: omkeerbaar (nl)
• Finnish: kääntyvä (fi), käännettävä (fi)
• French: réversible (fr)
• Georgian: შექცევადი (šekcevadi), შექცევითი (šekceviti)
• German: reversibel (de)
• Greek: αναιρέσιμος (el) (anairésimos), αναστρέψιμος (el) (anastrépsimos)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: reverserbar, reversibel, vendbar

  Nynorsk: reverserbar, reversibel, vendbar

• Polish: odwracalny (pl)
• Romanian: reversibil (ro)
• Spanish: reversible

clothing that can be worn inside out

• Bulgarian: с две лица (s dve lica)
• French: réversible (fr)
• German: wendbar, doppelseitig (de)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: vendbar

  Nynorsk: vendbar

• Polish: odwołalny
• Swedish: vändbar (sv)

capable of proceeding in either direction

• Turkish: tersinir (tr)

Noun

reversible (plural reversibles)

1. A garment that can be worn inside out.

Anagrams

• silver beer

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [rə.βərˈsib.blə]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [rə.vərˈsib.blə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [re.veɾˈsi.ble]

Adjective

reversible m or f (masculine and feminine plural reversibles)

1. reversible

Related terms

• revers

Further reading

• “reversible”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], 2007 April
• “reversible”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025.
• “reversible” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “reversible” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Norwegian Bokmål

Adjective

reversible

1. definite singular of reversibel
2. plural of reversibel

Norwegian Nynorsk

Adjective

reversible

1. definite singular of reversibel
2. plural of reversibel

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /rebeɾˈsible/ [re.β̞eɾˈsi.β̞le]
• Rhymes: -ible
• Syllabification: re‧ver‧si‧ble

Adjective

reversible m or f (masculine and feminine plural reversibles)

1. reversible

Derived terms

• reversibilidad
• reversiblemente

Further reading

• “reversible”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10