Dictionary.com

eligible

[ el-i-juh-buhl ]
/ ˈɛl ɪ dʒə bəl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR eligible ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

fit or proper to be chosen; worthy of choice; desirable: to marry an eligible bachelor.
meeting the stipulated requirements, as to participate, compete, or work; qualified.
legally qualified to be elected or appointed to office: eligible for the presidency.

noun

a person or thing that is eligible: Among the eligibles, only a few are running for office.

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Origin of eligible

First recorded in 1555–65; from Middle French or directly from Late Latin ēligibilis, equivalent to Latin ē- “out of, from” + lig- (combining form of leg-, stem of legere “to choose, select”) + -bilis “capable of, susceptible of, tending to”; see e-1, -ible

OTHER WORDS FROM eligible

el·i·gi·bil·i·ty, el·i·gi·ble·ness, nounel·i·gi·bly, adverbnon·el·i·gi·ble, adjective

Words nearby eligible

Eliade, Elias, eliche, elicit, elide, eligible, eligible paper, Elihu, Elijah, Elijah Muhammad, Elijah's chair
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to eligible

likely, qualified, acceptable, suitable, appropriate, becoming, desirable, discretionary, elective, fitted, licensed, preferable, privileged, proper, satisfactory, seemly, suited, trained, usable, employable

Example sentences from the Web for eligible

British Dictionary definitions for eligible

eligible
/ (ˈɛlɪdʒəbəl) /

adjective

fit, worthy, or qualified, as for an office or function
desirable and worthy of being chosen, esp as a spousean eligible young man

Derived forms of eligible

eligibility, nouneligibly, adverb

Word Origin for eligible

C15: from Late Latin ēligibilis able to be chosen, from ēligere to elect
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012