applicability

American  

[uh-plik-uh-bil-i-tee] / əˌplɪk əˈbɪl ɪ ti /

Rarely applicableness

noun

1. the fact or quality of applying to a certain situation or range of situations; relevance, appropriateness, or usefulness.

   Each clinician should evaluate the applicability of these guidelines to their own practice and patients.

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Other Word Forms

• nonapplicability
  noun
• unapplicability
  noun

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Etymology

Origin of applicability

applic(able) ( def. ) + -ability ( def. )

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Explanation

Applicability is the usefulness of something for a particular task. Hammers have great applicability for driving in nails. When something is applicable, it is suited to something or useful for a task. The applicability of a thing refers to how useful it is in a given situation. On a resume, talking about your favorite movie probably would have no applicability: it's pointless. A plunger has great applicability in a bathroom, but no applicability anywhere else. You can think of applicability as usefulness plus timeliness. If something has applicability, it will come in handy at the moment it is needed.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

applicability

"We will also be testing the concept using other intermetallics, with the goal of establishing the general applicability of FAIs for improving plasticity in this metal class," Xu said.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026

And though a film’s contextual significance is an important part of determining what is and isn’t a timeless movie, applicability isn’t everything, either.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

Both the James and Austen works get similarly reconfigured for their applicability to Iranian conditions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

Finnish Customs said it was still investigating "the applicability of EU sanctions legislation to this case."

From Barron's ● Jan. 1, 2026

The surgery-and- injection techniques developed by you and Dr. Strauss must be viewed as having little or no practical applicability, at the present time, to the increase of human intelligence.

From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes

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Related Words

• appropriateness

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