How to Use unable in a Sentence

unable

adjective

• I was unable to afford the trip.
• He was unable to play tennis after the injury.
• The city’s hospitals and morgues were overwhelmed, unable to cope with the influx of the dead.
  — Sarah Sirgany, CNN, 18 Sep. 2023
• When Jess was unable to find the fake idol, Q gave it to her directly.
  — Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024
• The Herald was unable to reach the men who were arrested.
  — Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024
• Consequences should be swift, as a 2-year-old is unable to grasp the concept of time.
  — Cynthia Hanson, Parents, 20 July 2023
• Trump is unable to make bond of more than $450 million in his civil fraud case.
  — Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024
• Mecole Hardman scrolled through his phone in the locker room, unable to keep up with all the messages shooting to the top of his screen.
  — Jesse Newell, Kansas City Star, 12 Feb. 2024
• McClatchy News was unable to reach the owner of Machista for comment.
  — Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 10 Apr. 2024
• At press time, Billboard was unable to reach a spokesperson for Ye.
  — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 13 Feb. 2023
• And then there’s the fact that Khan, 71, remains in prison and was unable to stand as a lawmaker himself.
  — TIME, 9 Feb. 2024
• The second free kick was straight ahead and the ball moved left to right as the goalie leaped up and was unable to deflect it as landed in the right corner of the net.
  — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2024
• For one reason or another, the others were unable to do the job.
  — BostonGlobe.com, 29 Mar. 2023
• Prisoners were unable to stand, and there was no light.
  — Katharine Houreld, Washington Post, 6 Jan. 2024
• But the Musketeers have been largely unable to get stops at the other end.
  — Adam Baum, The Enquirer, 25 Mar. 2023
• Officers went to the home in the 700 block of Ann Street but were unable to make contact with either woman.
  — Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 20 July 2023
• And that would be unbearable for Eli, whose voice cracks and who pauses, briefly unable to speak, when asked what Mia has meant to him.
  — Howard Lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Nov. 2023
• Three years ago, unable to keep up with rent, Becerra purchased the $8,000 motor home with the help of his children.
  — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2024
• Firefighters are unable to fight the fire from inside the building because the walls could collapse.
  — Austindedios, oregonlive, 16 Sep. 2023
• Many, if not most, will be unable to return home because of the vast damage and the continued presence of Israeli troops in the north.
  — Josef Federman, arkansasonline.com, 23 Nov. 2023
• Some are unable to move, others refuse to leave their homes, saying the south is no safer or fearing they will not be allowed to return.
  — Wafaa Shurafa, arkansasonline.com, 9 Dec. 2023
• For the past year, bickering politicians have been unable to elect a President.
  — Rania Abouzeid, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2023
• Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said the government may be unable to pay all its bills as soon as June.
  — Kevin Freking, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2023
• The Beatles had been asked to appear in this movie in the main roles, but were allegedly unable due to scheduling conflicts.
  — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 19 Mar. 2024
• Try not to take this personally; there could be a host of reasons that your sisters are unable to attend.
  — Annie Lane, oregonlive, 25 Aug. 2023
• He’s only given up one goal in several starts but has so far has been unable to hold the other team scoreless.
  — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Jan. 2024
• Walk away Some workers who are unable to reach an agreement with their employer are choosing to walk away.
  — Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza, Quartz, 21 Feb. 2023
• But the company struggled with the demand, and many users were unable to participate at all.
  — Andrew Webster, The Verge, 23 Nov. 2023
• The rangers have also been unable to determine the calf's gender so far, according to the nonprofit.
  — Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 28 Mar. 2024
• Some are also unhappy that the dam embankment built in 2010 was unable to defend their city.
  — Reuters, NBC News, 9 Apr. 2024

Last Updated: 3 May 2024