durability

American

[door-uh-bil-i-tee, dyoor-] / ˌdʊər əˈbɪl ɪ ti, ˌdyʊər- /

Also durableness

noun

the ability to last over time, resisting wear, breakage, deterioration, etc..

Those who own this make of car really can't complain, given the high quality, dependability, and durability of their product lines.

Other Word Forms

undurability noun
undurableness noun

Etymology

Origin of durability

First recorded in 1350–1400; Latin dūrābili(s) + -tās noun suffix; durable ( def. ), -ty ² ( def. )

Explanation

Durability is when something lasts a long time. The durability of your favorite pair of hiking boots keeps them from wearing out even when you've walked many miles in them. Use the noun durability to describe the quality of permanence or strength that keeps something working or holds it together. Your parents' thirty year marriage has durability, and your sturdy old car that keeps on running mile after mile also has durability. The Latin root word, durabilis, means "lasting or permanent," and comes from durare, "to last or harden."

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Vocabulary lists containing durability

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As first-quarter earnings loom “amidst parabolic AI revenue inflections at foundational model leaders,” Citi Research analysts expect the concerns around the durability of business models for software-as-a-service companies to intensify in the months ahead.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

“Investors are not positioned for a world in which assumptions built over decades — institutional credibility, alliance durability and the limits of political shock — would be tested simultaneously,” Cooper observes.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

Whether that ecosystem—and its associated jobs and tax revenue—will develop domestically or abroad depends on the durability of U.S. rules.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026