ability

noun abil·i·ty \ ə-ˈbi-lə-tē \

|Updated on: 5 Jul 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: ability in a Sentence

Definition of ability

plural abilities

1 a : the quality or state of being able

the ability of the soil to hold water

; especially : physical, mental, or legal power to do something

a writer's ability to engage the reader's interest

did the work to the best of her ability [=as well as she could]

b : competence in doing something : skill

artistic abilities

2 : natural aptitude or acquired proficiency

students with different abilities

See ability defined for English-language learners

See ability defined for kids

Examples of ability in a Sentence

a young woman with many remarkable musical abilities
a young woman of great musical ability
She has shown some ability with foreign languages.

Recent Examples of ability from the Web

Dolla’s collaborative appeal lies partly in his ability to sense what the lead artist is missing—or what his fellow featured artists won’t bring—and sprinkle that element throughout the song liberally.

— hannah giorgis, The Atlantic, "Ty Dolla $ign Isn’t Just a Feature Artist, He’s a Star," 2 July 2018
This is especially true for women athletes, whose career success hinges on their ability to persevere—something that Maia Shibutani, Olympic medalist, U.S. Figure Skating has plenty of experience with.

— danielle page, USA TODAY, "Empowering advice from today’s top women leaders at the 2018 KPMG Women's Leadership Summit," 2 July 2018
Your ability to lead and come up with unusual ideas carries you through most problems.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Horoscope," 2 July 2018
But publishers have good reason to be concerned about Audible’s expansion, and its growing ability to attract top-shelf talent.

— alex shephard, The New Republic, "Amazon’s Audiobook Boom," 2 July 2018
Lucky for Berkus, some things have remained constant, including his unerring ability to create a haven at home, with a style that manages to be timeless, personal, and relaxed — yet still completely chic.

— cindy dampier, chicagotribune.com, "Nate Berkus' 8 greatest tips for effortless home style," 2 July 2018
One of Walton’s strengths is his ability to connect with players.

— bryce miller, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Memo to Luke Walton: Here's comes LeBron ... and all that comes with it," 2 July 2018
Police officers are showing off their lip-syncing abilities and posting their videos to Twitter, Facebook and the like.

— natalie dreier, ajc, "Police officers compete in viral lip sync battle," 2 July 2018
Alternatively, parties could make a play to Canadian nationalism and their ability to stand up to Trump.

— stephanie carvin, Washington Post, "The U.S. isn’t being very neighborly. Here’s what it means for Canada’s foreign policy.," 1 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ability.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of ability

Middle English ablete, abilite, habilite "suitability, proficiency, ability," borrowed from Anglo-French abilité, borrowed from Latin habilitāt-, habilitās "aptitude," from habilis "easy to handle, adaptable, fit" + -tāt-, -tās -ty — more at able

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

ability Synonyms

-ability

noun suffix

variants: or less commonly -ibility

Definition of -ability

: capacity, fitness, or tendency to act or be acted on in a (specified) way

agglutinability

Origin and Etymology of -ability

Middle English -ablete, -abilite, -iblete, -ibilite, borrowed from Anglo-French -ableté, -abilité, -ibleté, -ibilité, borrowed from Latin -abilitās, -ibilitās, from -abilis, -ibilis -able + -tās -ty

ABILITY Defined for English Language Learners

-ability

noun suffix

Definition of -ability for English Language Learners

: ability, fitness, or likeliness to act or be acted on in (such) a way

ABILITY Defined for Kids

ability

noun abil·i·ty \ ə-ˈbi-lə-tē \

Definition of ability for Students

plural abilities

1 : power to do something

The cleaner has the ability to kill germs.

2 : natural talent or acquired skill

great musical ability

Synonym Discussion of ability

ability and talent mean physical or mental power to do or accomplish something. ability may be used of an inborn power to do something especially well.