unable
Americanadjective
adjective
-
lacking the necessary power, ability, or authority (to do something); not able
-
archaic incompetent
Related Words
See incapable.
Etymology
Origin of unable
Explanation
If you're unable to do something, you just can't do it. This isn't necessarily a bad thing! You may be unable to tell a lie, no matter how much you want to blame your brother for breaking that window. When we're unable, we're incapable. If you're unable to speak French, but you speak German fluently, you might choose to spend the summer in Berlin rather than Quebec City. And when your neighbor is unable to walk her dog during the day, you could volunteer to walk it after school. Being unable is either "lacking ability," or "lacking power."
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.
“The tank that is in the biggest crisis is, in fact, unable to be secured and mitigated.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
And those troops have been unable to train or maintain their weapons, said Craig Deare, who served early in Trump’s first administration as senior director for Western Hemisphere affairs at the National Security Council.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
No Iranian pilgrims were allowed that year, as the two sides were unable to organise a protocol for them to attend.
From Barron's • May 22, 2026
“We are unable to get anything out, and we were unable to get anything in to stabilize these things,” Freeman said.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
Despite her vow to avoid this disturbing tale before bedtime, she had been unable to resist taking a peek.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
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.
