capable
Americanadjective
idioms
adjective
-
having ability, esp in many different fields; competent
-
able or having the skill (to do something)
she is capable of hard work
-
having the temperament or inclination (to do something)
he seemed capable of murder
Synonym Usage
See able.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of capable
First recorded in 1555–65; from Late Latin capābilis “intelligent, understandable,” apparently equivalent to cap(āx) “competent, fit, roomy” ( see capacity) + -ābilis able
Explanation
To be capable of something is to be able to do it, like your little brother who is perfectly capable of tying his own shoes, but likes having everyone else do it for him. When people are capable, they can handle whatever task is at hand, like a capable teacher who can explain difficult concepts and make it fun. You may also have heard that someone "isn't capable" of, say, committing a crime or hurting someone's feelings. In this case, not being capable is a compliment — it means you just won't let yourself do something to violate your own standards for behavior.
Vocabulary lists containing capable
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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.
Capable of playing either at centre-back or left-back, 18-year-old Spanish defender Salinas broke into the Racing Santander first team in December 2024.
From BBC • Dec. 27, 2025
Capable of killing a wide range of cancer cells, doxorubicin and other similar chemotherapy medications are known to be toxic to the heart.
From Science Daily • Jun. 3, 2024
But there are some unintended consequences to that,” said the Raleigh, N.C.-based McCready, who wrote the 2015 book “The Me, Me, Me Epidemic: A Step-by-Step Guide to Raising Capable, Grateful Kids in an Over-Entitled World.”
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 15, 2023
Capable of rearing 30,000 trees a year just before Santofimio's death, the nursery now boasts a capacity of 100,000 a year, Lopez said.
From Reuters • Nov. 11, 2023
Capable, in its own fashion, of surviving even that which we’re not really managing to survive.
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
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.
