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unable

American  
[uhn-ey-buhl] / ʌnˈeɪ bəl /

adjective

  1. lacking the necessary power, competence, etc., to accomplish some specified act.

    He was unable to swim.
unable British  
/ ʌnˈeɪbəl /

adjective

  1. lacking the necessary power, ability, or authority (to do something); not able

  2. archaic incompetent

"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 incapable.

Etymology

Origin of unable

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; un- 1 + able

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.