pərˌfektəˈbiləd.ē sometimes ˌpərfik- noun
( -es )
Etymology: French perfectibilité, from perfectible + -ité -ity
1.
a. : a capacity for progress or improvement especially in the attainment of moral excellence
believed in rationalism, progress, and the infinite perfectibility of the human race — J.G.Colton
b. : perfectionism 1
the New England mind turned from perfectibility … to intellectual progress — H.S.Canby
c. : a belief advanced by Lessing that religion is rooted in humanitarian morality rather than dogmatic creed and is therefore subject to improvement
2. : perfection
ever the craftsman seeking perfectibility in … art — Saturday Review