Deductible Meaning: Here’s What It Means and How to Use It

If you have insurance, you’ve likely come across the word deductible (/dɪˈdʌk.tə.bəl/dɪˈdʌk.tə.bəl/) before — but what exactly does it mean, and how can it be used in a sentence?

You have questions, and we have answers. Read on as we explore this interesting term to uncover its definition, origin, synonyms, and more. 

What Is the Definition of Deductible?

According to the Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute, deductible for legal purposes refers to some kind of expense that reduces the amount an individual owes. 

In terms of auto insurance or homeowners insurance, a deductible is an amount in an insurance claim that the insurance provider deducts from a claim that must be paid by the insurance holder or a deductible is an amount a person must pay before the insurance begins paying out for claims. 

For example, Joe wrecks his vehicle causing $5,000 in damage. If Joe has a $2,000 deductible, the insurance company would only pay $3,000.

Lastly, and possibly the most common use of our word of the day, deductible, is in reference to a health insurance deductible. 

What Is A Deductible in Reference to Health Insurance?

In reference to health insurance, a deductible is the set amount you must pay out of pocket every year prior to your insurance plan becoming active. 

Unfortunately, at times, even after your deductible is paid off for the year, you may still have to cover various healthcare costs, such as copayments. 

Additionally, certain policies may also have coinsurance payments; these payments require the policyholder to pay for a predetermined portion of certain healthcare services. 

Your deductible amount varies with every health insurance plan and is generally raised or lowered depending on the plan you choose. Generally speaking, a higher premium often results in a lower deductible, and vice versa; when you obtain a low deductible, you will adversely have a high premium. 

You can sometimes offset these costs through programs:

• Through the Affordable Care Act, those with lower incomes may be eligible for subsidized health care
• By establishing an HSA or health savings account, you can offset some of your higher deductible costs 

What Are the Synonyms and Antonyms of Deductible?

By now, you likely understand that our word of the day refers to an amount that can be taken away from a total — but do you know what the synonyms and antonyms of the term deductible are? 

Synonyms

• Excess
• Provable
• Empirical
• Conclusive
• Undoubtedly
• Comprehensible
• Evident
• Irrefutable
• Patent
• Noticeable
• Distinct
• Demonstrable
• Supportable
• Evincible
• Watertight
• Deducible
• Obvious
• Inconvertible
• Perceptible
• Clear cut
• Transparent
• Verifiable
• Checkable
• Confirmable
• Empiric
• Testable
• Attestable
• Certain
• Unarguable
• Discernible
• Valid
• Certifiable
• Definite
• Sure
• Manifest
• Striking
• Axiomatic
• Indubitable
• Confirmed
• Proven
• Palpable
• Clear
• Plain
• Apparent
• Self-evident
• Asvertaibable
• Correct
• Observable
• Incontestable 

Antonyms

• Nondeductible
• Indemonstrable
• Insupportable
• Unprovable
• Unsupportable
• Unverifiable
• Unsustainable 

What Is the Origin of Deductible?

The etymology of deductible begins with the Latin deducere, which eventually evolved into what is now deduct — to take away. By 1856, the adjective deductible came to fruition by combining the word deduct with the suffix -ible. 

How Can You Use Deductible in a Sentence?

Now that you understand where our word of the day originates from let’s practice using it in a sentence. Below, you’ll find a few great example sentences. 

Take your time reviewing each one. When you’re ready, quiz yourself to see how many sentences you can come up with on your own. 

Did you know that a deductible is the amount of money you pay out of your very own pocket toward a covered claim?

I was shocked to hear that Jasmine’s car insurance policy had a deductible of well over 2,000 dollars. Honestly, that’s more than most repairs she will have to make — don’t you think?

Marty went with Lizard Auto Insurance because American Auto had an extremely high deductible that would have made him pay a high dollar amount in the event of a claim.

Gail asked me to call each insurance company to discover what the pocket costs or deductibles are as well as the monthly premiums.

Do you know what the deductibles are with medicare?

What Are Translations of Deductible?

Planning on going overseas? Here’s how to say our word of the day in different languages: 

• Afrikaans — Aftrekbare
• Arabic — خصم
• Bulgarian — Приспадане
• Chinese (simplified) — 扣除
• Croatian — Odbitne
• Czech — odpočitatelný
• Danish — Fradragsberettigede
• Dutch — aftrekbaar
• Finnish — omavastuu
• French — Déductible
• German — Selbstbehalt
• Greek — Εκπεστέος
• Italian — Deducibile
• Japanese — 控除
• Korean — 공제
• Norwegian — Fradragsberettiget
• Polish — Odliczeniu
• Portuguese — Dedutível
• Russian — Франшизы
• Spanish — deducible
• Swedish — avdragsgill
• Thai — หักลดหย่อนได้
• Turkish — İndirilemeyen
• Ukrainian — Франшиза
• Vietnamese — khấu trừ

If you plan on discussing deductibles with your peers in a foreign land, you’ll likely need to know how to say “health insurance” and “auto insurance.” After all, you wouldn’t want to get these two mixed up!

Translations of Health Insurance

• Afrikaans — gesondheidsversekering
• Arabic — تأمين صحي
• Bulgarian — здравна осигуровка
• Chinese (simplified) — 健康保险
• Croatian — zdravstveno osiguranje
• Czech — zdravotní pojištění
• Danish — sygeforsikring
• Dutch — ziektekostenverzekering
• Finnish — sairausvakuutus
• French — assurance maladie
• German — Krankenversicherung
• Greek — ασφάλιση υγείας
• Italian — assicurazione malattia
• Japanese — 健康保険
• Korean — 건강 보험
• Norwegian — helseforsikring
• Polish — ubezpieczenie zdrowotne
• Portuguese — seguro de saúde
• Russian — медицинское страхование
• Spanish — seguro de enfermedad
• Swedish — sjukförsäkring
• Thai — ประกันสุขภาพ
• Turkish — sağlık sigortası
• Ukrainian — медичне страхування
• Vietnamese — bảo hiểm y tế

Translations of Auto Insurance

• Afrikaans — motorverzekering
• Arabic — التأمين على السيارات
• Bulgarian — автомобилна застраховка
• Chinese (simplified) — 汽车保险
• Croatian — automobilsko osiguranje
• Czech — pojištění automobilu
• Danish — bilforsikring
• Dutch — autoverzekering
• Finnish — autovakuutus
• French — assurance automobile
• German — Kraftverkehrsversicherung
• Greek — ασφάλιση αυτοκινήτου
• Italian — assicurazione auto
• Japanese — 自動車保険
• Korean — 자동차 보험
• Norwegian — bilforsikring
• Polish — ubezpieczenie samochodowe
• Portuguese — seguro de automóvel
• Russian — страхование автомобилей
• Spanish — seguro de automóvil
• Swedish — bilförsäkring
• Thai — ประกันภัยรถยนต์
• Turkish — kasko sigortası
• Ukrainian — страхування автомобілів
• Vietnamese — bảo hiểm ô tô

Conclusion

In short, deductible can be used as both a noun or an adjective — deductible has sort of that naughty and nice, or sweet and sour feel to it. 

What we mean is that as an adjective, deductible takes on the nice role and is used primarily in reference to your taxes, or more specifically, the money you can subtract from the total taxes you may owe at the end of the year. 

When used as a noun, however, our word of the day is a little less friendly in that it is something you must pay — chiefly, an insurance deductible. 

Sources:

deductible | Wex | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute

Affordable Care Act Deductible | Healthcare.gov

Deductible – Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com