durability

American

[door-uh-bil-i-tee, dyoor-] / ˌdʊər əˈbɪl ɪ ti, ˌdyʊər- /

Also durableness

noun

the ability to last over time, resisting wear, breakage, deterioration, etc..

Those who own this make of car really can't complain, given the high quality, dependability, and durability of their product lines.

Other Word Forms

undurability noun
undurableness noun

Etymology

Origin of durability

First recorded in 1350–1400; Latin dūrābili(s) + -tās noun suffix; 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."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing durability

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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.

“Investors are not positioned for a world in which assumptions built over decades — institutional credibility, alliance durability and the limits of political shock — would be tested simultaneously,” Cooper observes.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

The durability of the cease-fire is already in question.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

But it divided opinion, with some saying the mechanism made keyboards less easy to type on, making it feel as though Apple was "prioritising thinness over durability", said Pickerell.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

“It’s adventure, survival, strategy, interpersonal relationships, social politics. … This multi-layered storytelling gives it durability because any given week you have no idea what you’re going to watch.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026

The durability of the empire is compelling evidence that the assets outweighed the liabilities.

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023