capability
Americannoun
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capabilities
plural
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the quality of being capable; capacity; ability.
His capability was unquestionable.
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the ability to undergo or be affected by a given treatment or action.
the capability of glass in resisting heat.
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Usually capabilities. qualities, abilities, features, etc., that can be used or developed; potential.
Though dilapidated, the house has great capabilities.
noun
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the quality of being capable; ability
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the quality of being susceptible to the use or treatment indicated
the capability of a metal to be fused
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(usually plural) a characteristic that may be developed; potential aptitude
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of capability
First recorded in 1580–90; from Middle French capabilité, from Late Latin capābili(s) capable + -ty 2
Compare meaning
How does capability compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A capability is something a person or a thing is able to do. It's hard to find a cell phone that doesn't include other capabilities, like taking pictures or storing MP3s. Inside the word capability is the word ability. Note the fine distinction between them. If you have an ability, it means you know how to do something. If you have a capability, it means you have the power to do something. Buying uranium gives a country the capability of making nuclear weapons, but first they need scientists with the ability to do the work.
Vocabulary lists containing capability
"The Declaration of Sentiments" (1848)
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Vocabulary from texts about Colin Powell
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President Obama's Speech at Hiroshima
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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.
See Examples For:
The World Bank also has boosted its capability to insure private-sector investors against political and other risks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
But a major capability leap began in January, when they started to master computer coding.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
Bowen adds that the Chinese have demonstrated "space tug capability", saying: "A vehicle can go up to a satellite, can grapple it and move it into a different orbit."
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
His proposal discusses several possible mechanisms, including capability checkpoints, limits on computing power for AI training and restrictions on using AI to develop more advanced AI.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
That is far beyond our capability and will probably be so for a very long period of time.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
Despite months of warnings about the capabilities of AI systems, the new intrusion shows how the complexity of today’s computer systems makes them difficult to defend.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Government officials said Smart’s debut was always planned to be limited before validating the software and expanding its capabilities, such as spacing out arrival times and planning routes days in advance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
But U.S. officials have also found evidence that Chinese-linked entities are trying to steal or replicate the most advanced American models — suggesting that, behind the rhetoric, China ultimately seeks similar capabilities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
But in a speech on Thursday to the European Parliament, Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney said: "Canada and Europe should secure our strategic autonomy through deep cooperation in the full range of strategic capabilities."
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Children who seemed to have escaped evacuation ran about on the grass shouting and laughing, the band struggled with music beyond its capabilities, and deck chairs still cost twopence.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
