Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
ability. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
ability, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
ability in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
ability you have here. The definition of the word
ability will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
ability, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
First attested in the 1300s. From Middle English abilite (“suitability, aptitude, ability”), from Old French ableté, from Latin habilitās (“aptness, ability”), from habilis (“apt, fit, skillful, able”); equivalent to able + -ity.
Pronunciation
Noun
ability (countable and uncountable, plural abilities)
- (obsolete) Suitableness.
- (uncountable) The quality or state of being able; capacity to do or of doing something; having the necessary power.
This phone has the ability to have its software upgraded wirelessly.
This wood has the ability to fight off insects, fungus, and mold for a considerable time.
2013 July 19, Peter Wilby, “Finland spreads word on schools”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 6, page 30:Imagine a country where children do nothing but play until they start compulsory schooling at age seven. Then, without exception, they attend comprehensives until the age of 16. Charging school fees is illegal, and so is sorting pupils into ability groups by streaming or setting.
- The legal wherewithal to act.
2013 June 22, “T time”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8841, page 68:The ability to shift profits to low-tax countries by locating intellectual property in them, which is then licensed to related businesses in high-tax countries, is often assumed to be the preserve of high-tech companies.
- (now limited to Scotland dialects) Physical power.
- (archaic) Financial ability.
- (uncountable) A unique power of the mind; a faculty.
- (countable) A skill or competence in doing; mental power; talent; aptitude.
They are persons of ability, who will go far in life.
She has an uncanny ability to defuse conflict.
a mixed-ability class
1848, Thomas Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James II:The public men of England, with much of a peculiar kind of ability
1884, Francis Bacon, Of Studies:Natural abilities are like natural plants, that need pruning by study -
Synonyms
Antonyms
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
quality or state of being able
- Afrikaans: vermoë
- American Sign Language: S@Sternumhigh-PalmDown-S@Sternumhigh-PalmDown S@Chesthigh-PalmDown-S@Chesthigh-PalmDown
- Arabic: قُدْرَة f (qudra), مَقْدِرَة f (maqdira), اِسْتِطَاعَة f (istiṭāʕa), وُسْع m (wusʕ)
- Egyptian Arabic: قدرة f (ʔudra), مقدرة f (maqdera, maʔdera), إستطاعة f (ʔesteṭāʕa)
- Armenian: կարողություն (hy) (karoġutʿyun), հնարավորություն (hy) (hnaravorutʿyun)
- Asturian: capacidá f, habilidá f
- Azerbaijani: bacarıq (az)
- Bashkir: һәләт (hələt)
- Basque: gaitasun, trebetasun, abilezia
- Belarusian: здо́льнасць (be) f (zdólʹnascʹ)
- Bengali: কুদরত (bn) (kudorot)
- Bikol Central: urag (bcl)
- Bulgarian: вещина́ (bg) f (veštiná), кадърност (bg) (kadǎrnost), ло́вкост (bg) f (lóvkost)
- Catalan: habilitat (ca) f, capacitat (ca) f
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 能力 (zh) (nénglì)
- Cornish: gallos m
- Czech: schopnost (cs) f
- Danish: evne (da) c
- Dutch: vaardigheid (nl) f, vermogen (nl) n
- Esperanto: povo
- Estonian: võime, oskus (et)
- Finnish: kyky (fi), taito (fi), kyvykkyys (fi)
- French: capacité (fr) f, pouvoir (fr) m, habileté (fr) f
- Galician: habilidade (gl) f, capacidade (gl) f
- Georgian: შესაძლებლობა (šesaʒlebloba), უნარი (unari)
- German: Fähigkeit (de) f
- Greek: ικανότητα (el) f (ikanótita)
- Hebrew: יכולת (he) f (yakhólet)
- Hindi: योग्यता (hi) f (yogyatā), योग्यत्व (hi) m (yogyatva), क्षमता (hi) (kṣamtā)
- Hungarian: képesség (hu)
- Indonesian: kemampuan (id), kesanggupan (id), kepandaian (id)
- Irish: ábaltacht f, cumas (ga) m
- Italian: abilità (it) f
- Japanese: 能力 (ja) (のうりょく, nōryoku)
- Khmer: សមត្ថភាព (saʼmatthaʼphiəp), លទ្ធភាព (km) (latthĕəʼphiəp)
- Korean: 능력(能力) (ko) (neungnyeok)
- Kurdish:
- Central Kurdish: دەرەقەت (dereqet), لەدەس ھاتن (ledes hatin)
- Kyrgyz: мүмкүнчүлүк (ky) (mümküncülük)
- Lakota: wóokihi
- Latin: prudentia f, calliditas f, solertia f, ars (la) f, scientia (la) f, sollers acumen, potestas (la) f, potentia f, habilitas f
- Lithuanian: gebėjimas m
- Macedonian: способност f (sposobnost)
- Malay: kebolehan (ms) کبوليهن
- Maltese: abilità f
- Manx: jargaght f
- Maori: āheitanga
- Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
- Norwegian: evne (no) m
- Occitan: abiletat (oc) f, capacitat (oc) f
- Polish: zdolność (pl) f
- Portuguese: habilidade (pt), capacidade (pt) f
- Quechua: atiy (qu)
- Romagnol: abilitê f
- Romanian: putință (ro) f, capacitate (ro) f, iscusință (ro), abilitate (ro) f
- Russian: возмо́жность (ru) f (vozmóžnostʹ), спосо́бность (ru) f (sposóbnostʹ)
- Scots: abeelity
- Scottish Gaelic: dìorachd f, murrachas m, murraiche f, abaltachd f, foladh m, acmhaing f
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: спосо́бно̄ст f
- Roman: sposóbnōst (sh) f
- Slovene: zmožnost f
- Spanish: habilidad (es) f, capacidad (es) f
- Swahili: uwezo (sw)
- Swedish: förmåga (sv) c
- Tagalog: kakayahan
- Telugu: దక్షత (te) (dakṣata), సత్తా (te) (sattā)
- Thai: ความสามารถ (th) (kwaam-sǎa-mâat)
- Tibetan: ནུས་པ (nus pa)
- Urdu: یوگیتا f (yogyatā), یوگیتو m (yogyatva)
- Vietnamese: năng lực (vi) (能力)
- Volapük: fäg (vo)
- Welsh: gallu (cy) m
|
a skill or competence
- Afrikaans: bekwaamheid, vermoë
- American Sign Language: (please verify) S@Sternumhigh-PalmDown-S@Sternumhigh-PalmDown S@Chesthigh-PalmDown-S@Chesthigh-PalmDown
- Arabic: مَوْهِبَة f (mawhiba)
- Armenian: ընդունակություն (hy) (əndunakutʿyun)
- Azerbaijani: bacarıq (az), qabiliyyət (az)
- Belarusian: здо́льнасць (be) f (zdólʹnascʹ)
- Bulgarian: спосо́бност (bg) (sposóbnost), уме́ние (bg) (uménie), да́рба (bg) (dárba)
- Crimean Tatar: qabiliyet
- Dutch: bekwaamheid (nl) m
- Finnish: taito (fi), kyky (fi)
- Galician: habilidade (gl) f
- Greek: ικανότητα (el) f (ikanótita)
- Haitian Creole: abilite
- Italian: capacità (it) f
- Japanese: 能力 (ja) (nōryoku), 才能 (ja) (sainō)
- Kurdish:
- Central Kurdish: (please verify) توانا (twana)
- Latin: facultās (la) f
- Maltese: (please verify) kapaċità f
- Maori: kaha (mi), āheitanga, āheinga
- Mongolian: чадвар (mn) (čadvar)
- Portuguese: habilidade (pt) f
- Romanian: abilitate (ro) f, iscusință (ro) f, îndemânare (ro) f, dibăcie (ro) f
- Russian: спосо́бность (ru) f (sposóbnostʹ), уме́ние (ru) n (uménije)
- Serbo-Croatian: vještina (sh) f, вјештина f
- Spanish: habilidad (es) f
- Swahili: (please verify) uwezo (sw)
- Swedish: förmåga (sv) c, färdighet (sv) c
- Tagalog: abilidad (tl)
- Thai: ความสามารถ (th) (kwaam-sǎa-mâat)
- Volapük: skil (vo)
|
a high level of capability or skill
suitability or receptiveness to be acted on
Translations to be checked
Further reading
- “ability”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “ability”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Lesley Brown, editor-in-chief, William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, editors (2002), “ability”, in The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 5th edition, Oxford, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 4.