ability

¹

[ uh-bil-i-tee ]

noun

, plural a·bil·i·ties.

1. power or capacity to do or act physically, mentally, legally, morally, financially, etc.

   Synonyms: expertness, dexterity, proficiency, capability

2. competence in an activity or occupation because of one's skill, training, or other qualification:

   the ability to sing well.

3. abilities, talents; special skills or aptitudes:

   Composing music is beyond his abilities.

-ability

²

1. a combination of -able and -ity, found on nouns corresponding to adjectives ending in -able:

   capability.

ability

/ əˈbɪlɪtɪ /

noun

1. possession of the qualities required to do something; necessary skill, competence, or power

   the ability to cope with a problem

2. considerable proficiency; natural capability

   a man of ability

3. plural special talents

Other Words From

• suba·bili·ty noun plural subabilities

Word History and Origins

Origin of ability¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English (h)abilite, from Middle French, from Latin habilitās “aptitude,” equivalent to habili(s) “handy” ( able ) + -tās -ty ²; replacing Middle English ablete, from Old French, from Latin, as above

Origin of ability²

Middle English -abilite, from French -abilité, from Latin -ābilitās (inflectional stem -ābilitāt- )

Word History and Origins

Origin of ability¹

C14: from Old French from Latin habilitās aptitude, handiness, from habilis able

Synonym Study

Ability, faculty, talent denote qualifications or powers. Ability is a general word for power, native or acquired, enabling one to do things well: a person of great ability; ability in mathematics. Faculty denotes a natural ability for a particular kind of action: a faculty of saying what he means. Talent is often used to mean a native ability or aptitude in a special field: a talent for music or art.

Example Sentences

The decision cannot be based on traditional parameters of willingness or ability to pay.

From Fortune

In the mid-1970s, King’s supervisors told him to hire more women to fill quotas, though they were still skeptical of his ability to retain those women, assuming they’d either quit or be fired soon after starting work.

From Outside Online

The ability to on-board a senior employee remotely as well as the agency team working remotely has DeMuth warming up to remote hiring.

From Digiday

One effective option is simply shutting off their worst-performing exchanges, particularly if they aren’t critical to the advertiser’s ability to scale.

From Digiday

Creating a mentorship program is unlikely to inhibit anyone’s ability to be creative, she added.

From Digiday

That article noted that the F-35 does not currently have the ability to down-link live video to ground troops,.

From The Daily Beast

Speech, in this case, is our ability to spend money on a goofy entertainment.

From The Daily Beast

Nor does the jet have the ability to capture high-definition video, utilize an infra-red pointer.

From The Daily Beast

Police, their representatives and supporters tell us, ensure our freedom of speech through our ability to protest.

From The Daily Beast

Her magical ability to shrink people just by staring at them is also put to great use here.

From The Daily Beast

Vain also was the valour and ability he showed in the campaign against the Royalists in La Vende.

From Project Gutenberg

In disease, the amount of solids depends mainly upon the activity of metabolism and the ability of the kidneys to excrete.

From Project Gutenberg

The ability to sustain the tone for a long time will increase, and with it the power of the muscles exercised.

From Project Gutenberg

The presence of a large gold fund was an assurance of the ability to return to specie payments after the close of the war.

From Project Gutenberg

Much has been said and written about the courage of the lion, and his ability to attack and kill any other animal.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• capability
• capacity
• competence
• intelligence
• qualification
• skill
• strength
• talent
• understanding