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

Concurrently, the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo faces severe international funding shortfalls, severely compromising surveillance and response capabilities. — Omer Awan, Forbes.com, 24 July 2026

Still, other analysts have expressed reservations toward K3’s true capabilities. — John Liu, CNN Money, 24 July 2026

Its architecture, interaction model, model scheduling, data processing, agent capabilities, and overall user experience are developed with AI as the foundation rather than as an add-on. — New Atlas, 23 July 2026

The new features and capabilities include AI-powered anomaly detection. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 23 July 2026

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