preferable, more preferable, most preferable

Because preferable already means “more desirable,” it is redundant to write more preferable and most preferable.

  • She found it preferable (not more preferable) to convert her overtime hours into leave.
  • In this case, the preferable (not most preferable) option would be to update the policies and distribute them to all the branch offices.

However, such phrases as far preferable and greatly preferable are acceptable.

  • Henry found it far preferable to put off until tomorrow what he could have done today.
  • The use of renewable energy sources is greatly preferable to that of non-renewable ones.

Copyright notice for Writing Tips Plus

© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Public Services and Procurement
A tool created and made available online by the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada

Search by related themes

Want to learn more about a theme discussed on this page? Click on a link below to see all the pages on the Language Portal of Canada that relate to the theme you selected. The search results will be displayed in Language Navigator.