Commendable means deserving praise and approval. Commendable effort, a commendable decision, entirely commendable.
It is measured praise rather than enthusiastic — calling something commendable approves of it without claiming it was brilliant, which is why it appears so often in reports and references. Commendable restraint is a fixed phrase. Note commend, commendation; and that the Latin means to entrust to somebody's hand, from manus and dare, so commending was originally handing something over for safekeeping.
1adjectivecommendableDeserving praise and approval.
“Her honesty in handing in the lost wallet was commendable.”
synonyms: praiseworthy, admirable
commendable is a quality deserving praise.
Latin commendabilis comes from commendare, to entrust — com plus mandare, from manus, hand, plus dare, to give. Mandate and command come from the same handing over.
Latin
commendabilis
Middle French
commendable
Middle English
commendable
English, today
commendable
Built from
From Middle English commendable, from Middle French commendable, from Latin commendabilis, from commendare (“to commend, intrust to”), from com- + mandare (“to commit, intrust, enjoin”), from manus (“hand”) + dare (“to put”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA