ability

¹ American  

[uh-bil-i-tee] / əˈbɪl ɪ ti /

noun

plural

abilities

1. power or capacity to do or act physically, mentally, legally, morally, financially, etc.

   Synonyms:

   dexterity, expertness, proficiency, capability

2. competence in an activity or occupation because of one's skill, training, or other qualification.

   the ability to sing well.

3. abilities, talents; special skills or aptitudes.

   Composing music is beyond his abilities.

---

-ability ² American  

1. a combination of -able and -ity, found on nouns corresponding to adjectives ending in -able:

   capability.

---

ability British  

/ əˈbɪlɪtɪ /

noun

1. possession of the qualities required to do something; necessary skill, competence, or power

   the ability to cope with a problem

2. considerable proficiency; natural capability

   a man of ability

3. (plural) special talents

---

Related Words

Ability, faculty, talent denote qualifications or powers. Ability is a general word for power, native or acquired, enabling one to do things well: a person of great ability; ability in mathematics. Faculty denotes a natural ability for a particular kind of action: a faculty of saying what he means. Talent is often used to mean a native ability or aptitude in a special field: a talent for music or art.

Other Word Forms

• subability noun

Etymology

Origin of ability¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English (h)abilite, from Middle French, from Latin habilitās “aptitude,” equivalent to habili(s) “handy” ( see able) + -tās -ty ²; replacing Middle English ablete, from Old French, from Latin, as above

Origin of -ability²

Middle English -abilite, from French -abilité, from Latin -ābilitās (inflectional stem -ābilitāt- )

Compare meaning

How does ability compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• capability vs. ability

Explanation

Ability is skill or talent. You might have the ability to blow bubbles, or sing in a falsetto, or dance the waltz. Or, just maybe, you have the ability to do all three things at once. Impressive! From the Old French ablate "expert at handling (something)," and that from the Latin habilitatem, "aptitude," comes the English ability, a noun indicating the power to act, perform, or accomplish. Capacity is similar in meaning to ability, but note that people have a capacity for doing something, and an ability to do something.

Example Sentences

Although it is an attractive and edible species, the golden oyster mushroom has demonstrated its ability to escape cultivation and establish itself in the wild, where it can outcompete native fungi.

From Science Daily • Apr. 24, 2026

Americans deserve the ability to properly make sense of how inflation is measured.

From Slate • Apr. 24, 2026

Demand loss is being seen chiefly in the Middle East, in Asian frontier economies and in Africa, where there is little surplus and scant ability to absorb higher costs.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 24, 2026

V4-Pro’s agent ability has significantly improved from previous models, the company said on its official WeChat account on Friday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

Since 1980, an important tool has become the ability to remotely monitor volcanoes from space using satellites.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone

Related Words

• capability
• capacity
• competence
• intelligence
• qualification
• skill
• strength
• talent
• understanding