capability

noun

ca·​pa·​bil·​i·​ty ˌkā-pə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

plural capabilities

1

: the quality or state of being capable

also : ability

The mayor has demonstrated his capability to handle municipal problems.

2

: a feature or faculty capable of development : potentiality

This vacant urban district has great capabilities.

3

: the facility or potential for an indicated use or deployment

the capability of a metal to be fused

nuclear capability

Synonyms of capability

• qualification
• ability
• expertise
• talent
• stuff

Examples of capability in a Sentence

The device has the capability of recording two television channels at once.

the nature of the tasks to which you are assigned will depend on your capabilities

Recent Examples on the Web

Isaias Medina, an international lawyer and former Venezuelan diplomat, also said Venezuela's own military capabilities look better on paper than in reality. —Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 10 Dec. 2025

Despite the restrictions, Chinese companies have increasingly found ways to use scale — whether in engineers, less advanced chips or data — to gradually build domestic AI capabilities. —Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 10 Dec. 2025

Kudzu is a great poster child of showing what an invasive plant species has the capability of doing. —Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 10 Dec. 2025

Companies are pouring money into AI but failing to translate that investment into workforce capability, largely because traditional training methods don’t help employees retain or apply complex skills. —Paola Cecchi-Dimeglio, Harvard Business Review, 10 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1587, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing capability

• nuclear capability

Rhymes for capability

• affability
• audibility
• bistability
• changeability
• contractility
• credibility
• culpability
• disability
• disutility
• durability
• fallibility
• feasibility