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.

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-ability ² American  

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

   capability.

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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

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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” ( able ) + -tās -ty ²; replacing Middle English ablete, from Old French, from Latin, as above

Origin of -ability¹

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

Example Sentences

Fanning’s ability to hop between a thorny Norwegian drama and a high-concept alien movie is exactly the kind of exciting malleability that audiences forced to wade through modern cinema’s sea of sameness deserve.

From Salon

To an audience raised to base the worth of movies and TV shows on their ability to weave narrative with cultural tributes, pausing to find clues in the set dressing, “Labyrinth” is a goldmine of Easter Eggs.

From Salon

Root's application at the crease, lightness on his feet and ability to pick the Sri Lankan spinners made him the key man in England's chase against the turning ball.

From BBC

That gave the system the ability to create near-limitless blends virtually and to predict how they would perform, though any suggestion still had to be vetted in the lab.

From The Wall Street Journal

A key factor behind these advances is the ability to precisely measure temperature on catalyst surfaces.

From Science Daily

Related Words

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