Definition of ability
abilities
1a : 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
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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.
Origin and Etymology of ability
-ability
-ibility
Definition of -ability
: capacity, fitness, or tendency to act or be acted on in a (specified) way agglutinability
ABILITY Defined for English Language Learners
-ability
Definition of -ability for English Language Learners
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: ability, fitness, or likeliness to act or be acted on in (such) a way
ABILITY Defined for Kids
ability
playDefinition of ability for Students
abilities
1 : power to do something The cleaner has the ability to kill germs.
2 : natural talent or acquired skill great musical ability
-ability
-ibility
\ə-ˈbi-lə-tē\Definition of -ability for Students
-abilities
also-ibilities
: ability, fitness, or likeliness to act or be acted upon in (such) a way capability visibility
Learn More about ability
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See words that rhyme with ability Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for ability Spanish Central: Translation of ability Nglish: Translation of ability for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of ability for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ability
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