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• ability
  ability

  noun

  power or capacity to do or act physically, mentally, legally, morally, financially, etc.
• -ability
  -ability

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

ability

¹ American  

[uh-bil-i-tee] / əˈbɪl ɪ ti /

noun

• abilities
  plural

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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Synonym Usage

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

Derived Forms

• subability
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• abilities
  plural

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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- )

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Compare meaning

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

• capability vs. ability

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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

See Examples For:

ability abilities

As Mathew found, however, Facebook didn’t conduct the investigation it promised — and knew at the time that it didn’t have the ability to take the announced actions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

Due to Argan’s indisposition Mr. Irwin is largely confined to his lounge chair, limiting his ability to display his gift for physical comedy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

However, its winter outlook report comes after an independent investigation found engineers had "high levels of stress and concern" about their ability to ensure adequate supply due to differences between renewable and gas-fired power generation.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

Understanding these differences could eventually help scientists identify why certain people might respond better to omega-3s than others and whether new treatments could improve the brain's ability to benefit from these essential fats.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026

He was several minutes into the focus app and not getting any closer to controlling his ability.

From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste

Meanwhile, student performance indicators have drifted downward, as reflected in recent Programme for International Student Assessment evaluations, an Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development measure of students’ abilities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

Researchers at Keck Medicine of USC found that even when high doses of omega-3s successfully reached the brain, they did not produce measurable improvements in memory, thinking abilities, or protection against brain shrinkage.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026

This arrangement greatly expands the brain's surface area, creating room for billions of neurons that support complex thinking and other advanced mental abilities.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026

In the past few years, the US military has deployed multiple AI-enabled technologies to help advance its warfighting abilities.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026

Knowing who you are and being able to assess your abilities, strengths, and weaknesses is critical to your success in any field.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

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Related Words

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

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