Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The quality of being able to do something, especially the physical, mental, financial, or legal power to accomplish something.
- noun A skill, talent, or capacity.
- noun The quality of being suitable for or receptive to a specified treatment.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun See -able, -bility, -ibility.
- noun The state or condition of being able; power or capacity to do or act in any relation; competence in any occupation or field of action, from the possession of capacity, skill, means, or other qualification.
- noun plural In a concrete sense, talents; mental gifts or endowments.
- noun The condition of being able to pay or to meet pecuniary obligations; possession of means: called distinctively financial or pecuniary ability.
- noun That which is within one's power to do; best endeavor.
- noun Synonyms Ability, Capacity, power, strength, skill, dexterity; faculty, capability, qualification, efficiency. Ability denotes active power or power to perform, and is used with regard to power of any kind. Capacity conveys the idea of receptiveness, of the possession of resources; it is potential rather than actual, and may be no more than undeveloped ability. Ability is manifested in action, while capacity does not imply action, as when we speak of a capacity for virtue. Capacity is the gift of nature; ability is partly the result of education or opportunity.
- noun Abilities, Talents, Parts, etc. (see
genius ), gifts, faculty, aptitude, accomplishments.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The quality or state of being able; power to perform, whether physical, moral, intellectual, conventional, or legal; capacity; skill or competence in doing; sufficiency of strength, skill, resources, etc.; -- in the
plural , faculty, talent.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun possession of the qualities (especially mental qualities) required to do something or get something done
- noun the quality of being able to perform; a quality that permits or facilitates achievement or accomplishment
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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Spending beyond your ability is a horrible trait in any one but in a government it is criminal.
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And this ability is analogous to writing well with insightful things to say.
More Dollar Bills on the Sidewalk, Bryan Caplan | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty 2009
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I am sure that the ability is there, but know that my record of harnessing it is not very promising.
Dear Jeremy Jeremy Bullmore 2010
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“This ability is usually associated with direct marketing campaigns such as telemarketing, e-mail marketing, or direct mail.”
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Spending beyond your ability is a horrible trait in any one but in a government it is criminal.
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This ability is the one persistent clue to his secret origins; it's also the reason he is pursued by Rahul Moghe, the only other person with this ability.
REVIEW: The Year's Best Science Fiction #25 edited by Gardner Dozois 2008
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It is Indonesia's many layers that have allowed moderate Islam to flourish in this nation of 240 million people, said Hasyim, explaining that NU has taken on the posture of moderation, which he called the ability to balance between faith and tolerance.
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Clayton devised the first empirical tests for wisdom, which she defined as the ability to acquire knowledge and analyze it both logically and emotionally — picking up on the work begun by Socrates, around the time the Peloponnesian War began to turn into what we would call a "quagmire."
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He was eloquent which I define as the ability to take complex things and make them simple to understand to a jury of your peers.
Edwards Coins New Phrase For Escalation: "The McCain Doctrine" 2009
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Why is it that all the other candidates were and are fully connected with their voice - which I define as the ability to fully and richly communicate who you are, what you stand for, and why you should be entrusted with the presidency?
Adam Hanft: Hillary Didn't Find Her Voice, She Was Channelling Expediency 2008
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