Origin: Latin suffix -able
Acceptable has 5 different meanings across 1 category:
worthy of acceptance or satisfactory
"acceptable levels of radiation"
"performances varied from acceptable to excellent"
meeting requirements
"the step makes a satisfactory seat"
"I would kill for a decent cup of coffee"
"a decent wage"
worthy, decent, sure of being accepted or received with at least moderate pleasure
"The restaurant manager was pleased that our homemade dessert proved to be acceptable enough for even the most critical food critics."
In plain English: Acceptable means something is good enough to be allowed or approved of.
"The hotel manager said our luggage was acceptable for storage in the lobby."
Usage: Use acceptable to describe something that meets a standard or is satisfactory enough to be approved without needing improvement. It implies a level of adequacy rather than excellence, meaning the item is good enough to pass but not necessarily outstanding.
The word comes from the Old French acceptable, which was borrowed from Late Latin acceptābilis. Originally meaning "worthy of acceptance," it entered English through Middle English with that same sense intact.