Synonyms

capable

American

[key-puh-buhl] / ˈkeɪ pə bəl /

adjective

having power and ability; efficient; competent.

a capable instructor.

Synonyms:

accomplished, ingenious, skillful

idioms

capable of,
1. having the ability or capacity for.
  
  a man capable of judging art.
2. open to the influence or effect of; susceptible of.
  
  a situation capable of improvement.
3. predisposed to; inclined to.
  
  capable of murder.

capable British

/ ˈkeɪpəbəl /

adjective

having ability, esp in many different fields; competent
able or having the skill (to do something)

she is capable of hard work
having the temperament or inclination (to do something)

he seemed capable of murder

"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

Related Words

See able.

Other Word Forms

capableness noun
capably adverb
overcapable adjective
quasi-capable adjective
quasi-capably adverb
supercapable adjective
supercapableness noun
supercapably adverb

Etymology

Origin of capable

First recorded in 1555–65; from Late Latin capābilis “intelligent, understandable,” apparently equivalent to cap(āx) “competent, fit, roomy” ( capacity ) + -ābilis able

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023