able

¹

[ ey-buhl ]

adjective

, a·bler, a·blest.

1. having necessary power, skill, resources, or qualifications; qualified:

   able to lift a two-hundred-pound weight; able to write music; able to travel widely; able to vote.

   Synonyms: fitted, fit

   Antonyms: incompetent

2. having unusual or superior intelligence, skill, etc.:

   an able leader.

   Synonyms: ingenious, clever, skilled, talented

3. showing talent, skill, or knowledge:

   an able speech.

   Synonyms: apt

4. legally empowered, qualified, or authorized.

noun

1. Usually Able. a code word formerly used in communications to represent the letter A.

-able

²

1. a suffix meaning “capable of, susceptible of, fit for, tending to, given to,” associated in meaning with the word able, occurring in loanwords from Latin ( laudable ); used in English as a highly productive suffix to form adjectives by addition to stems of any origin ( teachable; photographable ).

-able

¹

suffix forming adjectives

1. capable of, suitable for, or deserving of (being acted upon as indicated)

   separable

   enjoyable

   pitiable

   washable

   readable

2. inclined to; given to; able to; causing

   comfortable

   variable

   reasonable

able

²

/ ˈeɪbəl /

adjective

1. postpositive having the necessary power, resources, skill, time, opportunity, etc, to do something

   able to swim

2. capable; competent; talented

   an able teacher

3. law qualified, competent, or authorized to do some specific act

Derived Forms

• -ably, suffix:forming_adverbs
• -ability, suffix:forming_nouns

Other Words From

• over·able adjective
• over·ab·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of able¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin habilis “handy,” equivalent to hab(ēre) “to have, hold” + -ilis adjective suffix; -ile

Origin of able²

Middle English < Old French < Latin -ābilis, equivalent to -ā- final vowel of 1st conjugation v. stems + -bilis

Word History and Origins

Origin of able¹

via Old French from Latin -ābilis, -ībilis, forms of -bilis, adjectival suffix

Origin of able²

C14: ultimately from Latin habilis easy to hold, manageable, apt, from habēre to have, hold + -ilis -ile

Synonym Study

Able, capable, competent all mean possessing adequate power for doing something. Able implies power equal to effort required: able to finish in time. Capable implies power to meet or fulfill ordinary requirements: a capable worker. Competent suggests power to meet demands in a completely satisfactory manner: a competent nurse.

Example Sentences

That’s something this president has never been able to understand about the strength of the nation … One way to pull the strength of the nation together in a moment of crisis is to remind people we’re all in it together.

From Washington Post

“This creates a substantial possibility that many voters will be disenfranchised and the states may not be able to effectively, timely, accurately determine election outcomes,” he said.

From Washington Post

What I eat is less important than being able to keep eating, because what I’m after is food that lets me fidget — food that asks for a little effort, but not enough to require all my focus.

From Eater

As of now, over 198 million Americans who are eligible to vote would be able to cast a ballot by mail.

From Washington Post

He has been able to weather the closure and the reduction in business, but said he blew through savings.

From Washington Post

GIF-able when he goes jogging in sweatpants, if you know what I mean.

From The Daily Beast

The total “reality” that Kim offered to her fans made her brand incredibly popular, but it also made her so entirely mock-able.

From The Daily Beast

The smallest version is backpack-able, the largest can carry a small radar, and all have endurance unlimited by fuel.

From The Daily Beast

“This strategy seemed do-able and brilliant,” Salem nonetheless wrote of the scuttled scheme in his self-review.

From The Daily Beast

Able-bodied people rarely notice the barriers that riddle the world which keep the disabled from participating in society.

From The Daily Beast

It is followed by forty-four pages of argument and illustration relating exclusively to the able-bodied wage-earner.

From Project Gutenberg

The wonder is that between sword and halter there was any able-bodied man left in Munster.

From Project Gutenberg

As in the Report itself, no definition is given in the Act of what was meant by "able-bodied persons."

From Project Gutenberg

We can find no explanation of, or reason for, the entire absence of any provision for independent women who were able-bodied.

From Project Gutenberg

The outdoor relief sanctioned for able-bodied men was strictly limited to persons who were not in employment for hire.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• adept
• apt
• capable
• competent
• proficient
• skilled