adaptability

American  

[uh-dap-tuh-bil-i-tee] / əˌdæp təˈbɪl ɪ ti /

Rarely adaptableness

noun

• adaptabilities
  plural

1. the ability to adjust to different conditions or circumstances.

   Educational institutions are switching to the new software because of its flexibility, adaptability, and ease of use.

   Critical thinking skills and emotional and intellectual adaptability are essential characteristics of an educated citizenry.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonadaptability
  noun
• nonadaptableness
  noun
• readaptability
  noun
• superadaptableness
  noun
• unadaptability
  noun
• unadaptableness
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• adaptabilities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of adaptability

adapt ( def. ) + -ability ( def. )

Compare meaning

How does adaptability compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• adaptability vs. flexibility

Explanation

If someone is equally able to live on an iceberg, in a desert, and on top of a mountain, you could say that she has a lot of adaptability. This means she is able to make changes in response to her environment. The ability to adapt, or adaptability, is a great quality to have if you are an employee of a company that is going through a lot of changes or if you are an animal in nature, having to weather different seasons, or climate changes. You could say that some chameleons, which change color to blend into their surroundings, have a high level of adaptability.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

adaptability adaptabilities

According to the researchers, the discovery also demonstrates the remarkable adaptability of Treponema pallidum, the bacterium responsible for treponemal diseases.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026

Its weights, though, are open for users to play with, giving the model a level of adaptability.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

That adaptability offers Chelsea additional options, with head coach Xabi Alonso having used both systems during his coaching career.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

The technology's adaptability to different kinds of problems sets it apart from previous waves of computerised aids.

From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026

Changing economics and demographics require flexibility and adaptability.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

As WPA extends from storm sewers to nursery schools, so the interests and adaptabilities of Harry Lloyd Hopkins are equally diverse.

From Time Magazine Archive

It had been agreed that Bubbles, having of the two the more feminine adaptabilities of voice, should do the talking.

From The Penalty by Howard Chandler Christy

The text has been revised and, where necessary, rewritten, and is superior to the editions now current both in literary excellence and in the valuable desideratum of "accents" and other adaptabilities to musical utterance.

From Martha or, The Fair at Richmond by Friedrich von Flotow

So also in the adaptabilities and the conveniences of life, in its versatilities and in its enjoyments.

From The Life and Letters of Walter H. Page, Volume II by Burton Jesse Hendrick

With her quick perceptions and adaptabilities she would soon learn to care more about the quality of the reflecting surface; and meanwhile no criticism of his should mar her pleasure.

From The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton

Related Words

• flexibility
• versatility