eligible

American  

[el-i-juh-buhl] / ˈɛl ɪ dʒə bəl /

adjective

1. fit or proper to be chosen; worthy of choice; desirable.

   to marry an eligible bachelor.

   Synonyms:

   suitable, fitting

   Antonyms:

   unacceptable, unsuitable, ineligible

2. meeting the stipulated requirements, as to participate, compete, or work; qualified.

3. legally qualified to be elected or appointed to office.

   eligible for the presidency.

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noun

1. a person or thing that is eligible.

   Among the eligibles, only a few are running for office.

eligible British  

/ ˈɛlɪdʒəbəl /

adjective

1. fit, worthy, or qualified, as for an office or function

2. desirable and worthy of being chosen, esp as a spouse

   an eligible young man

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Other Word Forms

• eligibility noun
• eligibleness noun
• eligibly adverb
• noneligible adjective

Etymology

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

Explanation

If you get good grades, volunteer at the hospital, play varsity sports, and write for your school paper, you might be eligible for a college scholarship. If you’re eligible for something, you’re either qualified for it or allowed to do it. You’re eligible for unemployment benefits if you’ve recently been laid off, but not if you've never had a job in the first place. You may not be eligible to enter a sweepstakes if you work for the company giving away the money. Neither your dog nor your friend from Australia is eligible to run for president of the United States, but you might be!

Example Sentences

On April 8, 2016, Cheap Trick was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, years after becoming eligible.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

He is eligible to remain as a voting member of the central bank’s board until 2028.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

The scheme will cost £600m and businesses will be able to find out whether they are eligible using their Standard Industrial classification code on the government business department website.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

U.S. citizens born between 2025 and 2028 are eligible for the one-time, $1,000 tax-exempt deposit, which they typically can’t withdraw until they turn 18.

From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026

In order to be eligible to accept the award, we had to write an essay explaining why we would be good ambassadors for the occasion.

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers

Related Words

• acceptable
• likely
• qualified
• suitable