durability
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of durability
First recorded in 1350–1400; Latin dūrābili(s) + -tās noun suffix; see durable ( def. ), -ty 2 ( def. )
Explanation
Durability is when something lasts a long time. The durability of your favorite pair of hiking boots keeps them from wearing out even when you've walked many miles in them. Use the noun durability to describe the quality of permanence or strength that keeps something working or holds it together. Your parents' thirty year marriage has durability, and your sturdy old car that keeps on running mile after mile also has durability. The Latin root word, durabilis, means "lasting or permanent," and comes from durare, "to last or harden."
Vocabulary lists containing durability
This Week in Words: January 27 - February 2, 2018
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"Ad Power," "Without Commercials," and "What's Wrong with Advertising"
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"The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller, List 5
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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.
Some of the biggest jokers count on their fans’ defiant loyalty more than on the quality, profundity and durability of the jokes they’re telling.
From Salon • Jul. 3, 2026
MEUNIER: When you have a strong DNA as a company, like Nissan had and has, it is really about durability, affordability, but also exciting products—fun to drive, fun design, and different, edgy products.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026
He’s no longer a quintessential underdog routinely pardoned for his bad defense, his questionable durability and his tendency to tighten up in the playoffs.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2026
Not quite all round given the Three Lions' lack of creativity in the face of Ghana's durability - but Tuchel's side still remain in a healthy position.
From BBC • Jun. 24, 2026
It is of course the abundance and extreme durability of atoms that makes them so useful, and the tininess that makes them so hard to detect and understand.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
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.
