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.
Some of the decline is simply the result of people exhausting their benefits after being unable to find a job.
From MarketWatch • May 7, 2026
Eight players who have made All-Star teams as recently as 2024—whose teams shell out combined salaries this season totaling $313.7 million—have been unable to report for playoff duty on at least one occasion.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
Audience members at the Better Late Than Never show at Utilita Arena on Friday will be entitled to a refund if they are unable to attend the new performance on Saturday, 25 July.
From BBC • May 6, 2026
The mother of Setayesh Ali Hosseini, a 9-year-old fourth-grader, finds herself unable to enter her daughter’s room.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
But the erratic Arctic temperatures plunged again to more than – 50°F. Three of the crew members returned barely coherent; the other four were unable to move, stranded miles away from the ship.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
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.
