curable
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curable
Describes an illness or condition that can be completely cured. It means that recovery is possible.
Zum Glück war der Krebs in einem frühen Stadium und somit gut heilbar.
Fortunately, the cancer was at an early stage and therefore highly curable.
The adjective consists of the verb stem 'heil-' (from 'heilen' (to heal/cure)) and the ending '-bar'. The ending '-bar' means that something can be done. So 'heilbar' literally means 'can be cured'.
Diese Infektion ist mit Antibiotika gut heilbar.
This infection is very treatable with antibiotics.
The opposite is formed simply with the prefix 'un-': 'unheilbar' (incurable). This prefix is often used with adjectives ending in '-bar' to express impossibility.
Leider gilt diese Krankheit als unheilbar.
Unfortunately, this disease is considered incurable.
This word is used almost exclusively in a medical context. It typically describes a 'Krankheit' (disease/illness), a 'Verletzung' (injury), a 'Tumor' (tumor), or an 'Infektion' (infection).
Es handelt sich um eine seltene, aber heilbare Krankheit.
It is a rare but curable disease.
'Heilbar' is often described more precisely with adverbs to indicate the degree of the chances of recovery. Common combinations are 'gut heilbar' (highly curable), 'leicht heilbar' (easily curable), or 'schwer heilbar' (difficult to cure).
Wird der Tumor früh entdeckt, ist er meist gut heilbar.
If the tumor is detected early, it is usually highly curable.
incurable
'unheilbar' and 'heilbar' both describe whether an illness or ailment can be cured. 'heilbar' means that recovery is possible. 'unheilbar' means the opposite: according to the current state of medicine, the illness cannot be completely cured. In medical topics, this difference is very important because the words make exactly opposite statements.
Diese Infektion ist heilbar, wenn man früh genug mit der Behandlung beginnt.
This infection is curable if treatment begins early enough.
Die Ärztin erklärte ruhig, dass die Krankheit leider unheilbar ist.
The doctor calmly explained that the disease is unfortunately incurable.