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:
But due to a lack of U.S. manufacturing capacity and capability, actuation systems are also a bottleneck, Kelkar said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
Jason Aten, a tech columnist at Inc. magazine, reported that his Muse read and regurgitated his private messages even though he believed he had denied it that capability.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
It said his death was a "tragic accident" that happened while he was "observing Ukrainian forces test a new defensive capability".
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
"This capability improves reproducibility and scalability of complex disease modeling and supports more efficient drug development and validation."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026
It used a 16-bit processor, which allowed double the processing capability of the 8-bit Nintendo, an early sign that the power of these machines would soar with each generation.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
He characterized AI capabilities as statistical computations and warned that assigning consciousness to AI erodes human dignity.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
None of the chores that Meta boasts about are beyond the capabilities of most people living in today’s digital world.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
"In terms of hardware capabilities, there will definitely be an improvement," the 37-year-old told AFP.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
Regulators have focused on bank solvency, management capabilities and community banking needs—all concrete, factual criteria.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
But if they are to row well together, each of these oarsmen must adjust to the needs and capabilities of the other.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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.
