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.
“We’re into the realm where earnings durability is driving shares higher, rather than any single set of blowout results.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
Investors have become more focused on the durability of memory-chip demand, but there are reasons to be optimistic on that front, a UBS analyst said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Future studies will examine how the concrete performs over longer periods, including whether it maintains its durability and ability to absorb CO2.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
Rybakina's next two wins over China's Zheng Qinwen and home favourite Coco Gauff required more work after losing the first sets, proving she had the durability to come through tough battles.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Meanwhile, we are paying too little attention, and respect, to the built-in durability and sheer power of the human organism.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
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.
