capability
Americannoun
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capabilities
plural
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the quality of being capable; capacity; ability.
His capability was unquestionable.
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the ability to undergo or be affected by a given treatment or action.
the capability of glass in resisting heat.
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Usually capabilities. qualities, abilities, features, etc., that can be used or developed; potential.
Though dilapidated, the house has great capabilities.
noun
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the quality of being capable; ability
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the quality of being susceptible to the use or treatment indicated
the capability of a metal to be fused
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(usually plural) a characteristic that may be developed; potential aptitude
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of capability
First recorded in 1580–90; from Middle French capabilité, from Late Latin capābili(s) capable + -ty 2
Compare meaning
How does capability compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A capability is something a person or a thing is able to do. It's hard to find a cell phone that doesn't include other capabilities, like taking pictures or storing MP3s. Inside the word capability is the word ability. Note the fine distinction between them. If you have an ability, it means you know how to do something. If you have a capability, it means you have the power to do something. Buying uranium gives a country the capability of making nuclear weapons, but first they need scientists with the ability to do the work.
Vocabulary lists containing capability
"The Declaration of Sentiments" (1848)
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Vocabulary from texts about Colin Powell
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President Obama's Speech at Hiroshima
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
We don't have the capability in the way that we should have to fight these fires.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
He said the United States hopes to deploy forces alongside its allies with "operational capability like you saw with the strikes on the drug boats" in the Caribbean and Pacific.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
“When we’re out on the water, we try not to use force if we can avoid it. It’s about having the capability ready as a fallback—keeping it prepared just in case.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Zuckerberg noted that people fear automation will outpace individuals’ capability to get smarter and better at their jobs, leading to job displacement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Would you want someone of Zeebo’s capability to handle the town’s money?
From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee
They say it remains difficult to assess the extent of the damage the U.S. and Israel did to the Revolutionary Guard’s capabilities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
“What we have seen so far is increasingly interpreted through the lens of ‘salami-slicing’ tactics—limited, incremental escalation designed to weaken capabilities before a larger confrontation.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Takaichi has also accelerated a beefing up of Japan's military capabilities as its sheds its strict pacifist stance in place since the war.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
DeepMind “demonstrated all of these great capabilities early on, like playing games or protein folding,” Lee said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
Other times, he asked for tea and then went on to examine the sugar bowl and the tin of milk, muttering, “The capabilities of bacteria are quite extraordinary.”
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
