availability

American  

[uh-vey-luh-bil-i-tee] / əˌveɪ ləˈbɪl ɪ ti /

Rarely availableness

noun

1. the fact or quality of being close at hand and ready for use.

   Children learn about the importance of reading and writing through the availability of a wide variety of books.

2. the fact or quality of being readily obtainable.

   Prices are subject to availability of the product at the time of ordering.

3. freedom or willingness to do something.

   League members selected as reserve players shall confirm their availability by signing the list on the notice board.

4. the fact or condition of not being involved in a romantic or sexual relationship and therefore being potentially open to one.

   Overall, he says, a man is more attracted to a woman by the signs of her availability than by her physical appearance.

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Other Word Forms

• interavailability noun
• nonavailability noun
• unavailability noun
• unavailableness noun

Etymology

Origin of availability

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

Explanation

Something with availability is easy to get or to access. If you work at an ice cream shop, the availability of ice cream might make it hard to stick to a diet. The noun availability indicates that something is easily obtainable and ready for use. If you are thinking about renting a certain apartment, you might want to ask about the availability of parking spaces in the neighborhood before you sign a lease. You can use availability and accessibility almost interchangeably, as with this sentence: "The accessibility of the Internet has increased the availability of information."

Example Sentences

This suggests that insect flight muscles are not limited by oxygen availability.

From Science Daily • Apr. 25, 2026

Shipping began April 6 and broad availability through retail pharmacies and telehealth providers kicked off three days later.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

If you want to stay in your next city over the long term, it’s important to consider housing availability as well, says Jiayi Xu, an economist at Realtor.com.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 22, 2026

While countries in the north of the world are planting food now, the problem for global food availability could come in June to July.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

Even with the modern availability of synthetic fertilizers produced by chemical factories, the major source of crop fertilizer today in most societies is still animal manure—especially of cows, but also of yaks and sheep.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• opportunity
• show
• time