as in capability
the physical or mental power to do something
as a result of the accident the once-vigorous athlete lost the ability to walk
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ability
When temperatures dip, iguanas lose the ability to move their muscles.
—
Peter Burke, FOXNews.com, 8 Feb. 2026
Other features include the ability to swap out bands and a glow-in-the-dark face for extreme conditions.
—John Monaco, InStyle, 7 Feb. 2026
The visor-wearing 44-year-old is known for his ability to adapt.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Feb. 2026
For one thing, the 50-plus age range spans decades of life experience, interests, and physical ability.
—Kathy Boardman, USA Today, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ability
Peter Burke, FOXNews.com, 8 Feb. 2026
Other features include the ability to swap out bands and a glow-in-the-dark face for extreme conditions.
—John Monaco, InStyle, 7 Feb. 2026
The visor-wearing 44-year-old is known for his ability to adapt.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Feb. 2026
For one thing, the 50-plus age range spans decades of life experience, interests, and physical ability.
—Kathy Boardman, USA Today, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ability
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ability
Noun
-
Russia has seen high-profile technology projects fall short before, and without independent demonstrations, PJN-1’s true capabilities are unclear.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Takaichi has pledged to revise security and defense policies by December to bolster Japan's offensive military capabilities.—
MARI YAMAGUCHI,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
To degrade what's left of Iran's nuclear program and missile-making capacity?—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Heirs had raised $750 million from the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in December to finance the expansion of its own oil producing facility to 100,000 barrels per day within five years, more than doubling the asset’s capacity when it was bought from Shell in 2021.—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Semrad, a faculty member at the University of Central Florida in the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, said Brooks’ explanation did not change her view.—
Stephen Hudak,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Students need to submit evidence of their work experience, which faculty then evaluate and translate into an equivalent course at the college.—
CalMatters,
Daily News,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Using skills, Codex can pull design assets from Figma, manage bug tracking and releases in Linear, deploy applications to cloud platforms such as Vercel and Cloudflare, and generate images using OpenAI’s image model.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Feb. 2026
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Kate had changed her hair into a stylish bob — but apparently hadn’t updated her mothering skills — two years later when, in the sequel, Kevin again was discovered missing, at the Miami airport.—
Jocelyn Noveck,
Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
For all the talent on Seattle’s defense, a single superstar didn’t dominate the game.—
Jerry Brewer,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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Her hard work and talent were recently recognized on a statewide level, as she was named a Fastpitch All-Stater.—
Darla Rivera,
Oklahoman,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In the era of collaboration, globalization, and entrepreneurship, EQ surpassed IQ as the must-have aptitude for an interconnected world.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
3 Feb. 2026
-
The Broncos expect Stidham to play well given his mental aptitude, preparation and personality.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ability.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ability. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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