eligible

1 of 2

adjective

el·​i·​gi·​ble ˈe-lə-jə-bəl 

1

a

: qualified to participate or be chosen

eligible to retire

b

: permitted under football rules to catch a forward pass

2

: worthy of being chosen

an eligible young bachelor

eligibly

ˈe-lə-jə-blē 

adverb

eligible

2 of 2

noun

plural eligibles

: a person or thing that is qualified or permitted to do or be something : one that is eligible for something

As with the College of Cardinals and the papacy, where every cardinal, in theory, is eligible to be Pope but the number of real eligibles is substantially smaller, so with the American Presidency.

—Stephen R. Graubard

… when she entered life, beautiful, accomplished, and an heiress, she had, of course, all the eligibles … of the other sex sighing at her feet …

—Harriet Beecher Stowe

Examples of eligible in a Sentence

Adjective

… more than six years since the fall of the Taliban, fewer than 30% of eligible girls are enrolled in schools, and the infrastructure is so poor that only a tiny fraction are likely to get the education they need to enjoy the fruits of emancipation. —Aryn Baker, Time, 28 Jan. 2008

She wanted to start her own family. She was twenty-six and without prospects. At church her mother prayed, and at Crystal Nail, where she lacquered and lengthened, her mother asked customers about eligible young men. She kept Li En's graduation photo mounted in the right corner of her mirror, so that every customer would see her daughter, diploma in hand. —Max Apple, Atlantic, November 2003

I'd like to join but I'm not eligible yet.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Instead of being calculated on a per-worker basis like the minimum wage fee, the hospitality wage fee would charge each eligible hotel and entertainment venue a flat annual fee of $2,131. — David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2026

Following multiple delays, the delegates voted to amend the roll to 215 eligible voters. — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 9 July 2026

Noun

Most enrollees, known as dual eligibles, receive both Medicare and Medicaid. — Howard Gleckman, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026

That leaves two spots on the men’s side, and with a weak-ish crop of first-year eligibles other than Bergeron, that gives the committee a chance to backfill some candidates who’ve been waiting for years. — Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 19 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Late Latin eligibilis, from Latin eligere to choose — more at elect

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1656, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing eligible

• eligible bachelor
• re-eligible

Rhymes for eligible

• ineligible
• intelligible
• unintelligible

Kids Definition

eligible

adjective

el·​i·​gi·​ble ˈel-ə-jə-bəl 

: qualified to be chosen or to participate

eligible to vote

eligibility

ˌel-ə-jə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

eligible noun

eligibly

ˈel-ə-jə-blē 

adverb