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.
She is close to reaching her second, worth $15, and hopes to eventually make it to higher levels, unlocking the ability to post affiliate links and make commissions on sales.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
"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
Even her grandson’s discarded computer parts made a cameo, a testament to Saar’s uncanny ability to mine inspiration from the most mundane objects.
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
In cases where NTIs do not have a reasonable ability to manipulate events, it is still best to withhold information.
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Researchers from UCL and the Natural History Museum, London analyzed the rare artifact, which offers a striking look at the intelligence and technical abilities of early human ancestors.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 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
The prophecy also claims that the fated twins have the power to command daemons, supernatural beings with unearthly abilities.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
“My success in life has not been derived from superior abilities, or extensive knowledge, a very small and scanty share of either having fallen to my lot,” Willing wrote in a short autobiography in 1786.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Survival in that era required superb mental abilities from everyone.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
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.
