power or capacity to do or act physically, mentally, legally, morally, financially, etc.
competence in an activity or occupation because of one's skill, training, or other qualification.
the ability to sing well.
abilities, talents; special skills or aptitudes.
Composing music is beyond his abilities.
possession of the qualities required to do something; necessary skill, competence, or power
the ability to cope with a problem
considerable proficiency; natural capability
a man of ability
(plural) special talents
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.
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
Middle English -abilite, from French -abilité, from Latin -ābilitās (inflectional stem -ābilitāt- )
How does ability compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"His genius was the ability to interview you as if he was just being curious, but actually he had researched you... he knew exactly where he wanted to take you."
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
“Wendi has the unique ability to bring nostalgia, whimsy and individuality all together into maximalist style,” she says in an email.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
But it has struggled against a lack of enforcement power and several nations -- notably China, Israel, Russia and the United States -- do not recognise its jurisdiction, hampering its ability to investigate their nationals.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Drivers include trade diversification, continued port capacity investments and the liner industry’s improved ability to pay higher port charges, the analyst says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
“It’s not a superpower. It’s one gift. An ability to listen, for the sake of ourselves and for others.”
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
But in Koivun’s mind, it’s his mental abilities and not his physical ones that set him apart.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Scientists still do not know exactly how SuperAgers maintain such strong cognitive abilities, but the search continues with help from the participants themselves.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026
In 2025, models made by the likes of Google and OpenAI reached gold-level scores for the first time -- but could not match the abilities of five human contestants who got 100 percent.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Much like the twins, their abilities appear predicated on a complementary duality to assist their masters.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
Mill claimed that women have been coaxed, cajoled, shoved and squashed into a series of feminine contortions for so many centuries, that it is now quite impossible to define their natural abilities or aspirations.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
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.
