ability

[ uh-bil-i-tee ]

See synonyms for: ability abilities on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural a·bil·i·ties.

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.

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Origin of ability

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English (h)abilite, from Middle French, from Latin habilitās “aptitude,” equivalent to habili(s) “handy” (see able) + -tās -ty²; replacing Middle English ablete, from Old French, from Latin, as above

synonym study For ability

2. 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 words for ability

1	capability; proficiency, expertness, dexterity

See synonyms for ability on Thesaurus.com

Other words from ability

sub·a·bil·i·ty, noun, plural sub·a·bil·i·ties.

Words that may be confused with ability

ability , capacity

Words Nearby ability

Other definitions for -ability (2 of 2)

-ability

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

Origin of -ability

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ability in a sentence

The decision cannot be based on traditional parameters of willingness or ability to pay.
When rationing a coronavirus vaccine, pharma must keep these 3 ethical considerations in mind | jakemeth | July 23, 2020 | Fortune
In the mid-1970s, King’s supervisors told him to hire more women to fill quotas, though they were still skeptical of his ability to retain those women, assuming they’d either quit or be fired soon after starting work.
The First Women on Hotshot Crews | Amanda Monthei | July 23, 2020 | Outside Online
The ability to on-board a senior employee remotely as well as the agency team working remotely has DeMuth warming up to remote hiring.
‘This is an opportune time’: Why remote work could help agencies hire and support more diverse talent | Kristina Monllos | July 22, 2020 | Digiday
One effective option is simply shutting off their worst-performing exchanges, particularly if they aren’t critical to the advertiser’s ability to scale.
Revisiting supply-path assumptions, marketers are seeing a revenue lift | Sharethrough | July 22, 2020 | Digiday
Creating a mentorship program is unlikely to inhibit anyone’s ability to be creative, she added.
The ‘microaggression maze’: How minority mentorship is taking a hit during coronavirus | Lucinda Southern | July 21, 2020 | Digiday

That article noted that the F-35 does not currently have the ability to down-link live video to ground troops,.
Pentagon Misfires in Stealth Jet Scandal | Dave Majumdar | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
Speech, in this case, is our ability to spend money on a goofy entertainment.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead | Luke O’Neil | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
Nor does the jet have the ability to capture high-definition video, utilize an infra-red pointer.
Pentagon Misfires in Stealth Jet Scandal | Dave Majumdar | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
Police, their representatives and supporters tell us, ensure our freedom of speech through our ability to protest.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead | Luke O’Neil | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
Her magical ability to shrink people just by staring at them is also put to great use here.
Marvel’s ‘Agent Carter’ Stomps on the Patriarchy | Melissa Leon | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
Vain also was the valour and ability he showed in the campaign against the Royalists in La Vende.
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-Pattison
In disease, the amount of solids depends mainly upon the activity of metabolism and the ability of the kidneys to excrete.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
The ability to sustain the tone for a long time will increase, and with it the power of the muscles exercised.
Expressive Voice Culture | Jessie Eldridge Southwick
The presence of a large gold fund was an assurance of the ability to return to specie payments after the close of the war.
Readings in Money and Banking | Chester Arthur Phillips
Much has been said and written about the courage of the lion, and his ability to attack and kill any other animal.
Hunting the Lions | R.M. Ballantyne

British Dictionary definitions for ability

ability

/ (əˈbɪlɪtɪ) /

nounplural -ties

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

Origin of ability

C14: from Old French from Latin habilitās aptitude, handiness, from habilis able

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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