1. singular noun [NOUN to-infinitive, oft with poss]
Your abilityto do something is the fact that you can do it.
The public never had faith in his ability to handle the job.
He has the ability to bring out the best in others.
Synonyms: capability, power, potential, facility More Synonyms of ability
2. variable noun [oft with poss]
Your ability is the quality or skill that you have which makes it possible for you to do something.
Her drama teacher spotted her ability.
I have confidence in the ability of the players.
They repeatedly questioned his leadership abilities.
Does the school cater for all abilities?
Synonyms: skill, talent, know-how [informal], gift More Synonyms of ability
3.
See to the best of your ability
usage note: Do not confuse ability with capability and capacity. You often use ability to say that someone can do something well. He had remarkable ability as a musician. ...the ability to bear hardship. A person's capability is the amount of work they can do and how well they can do it. ...a job that was beyond the capability of one man. ...the director's ideas of thecapability of the actor. If someone has a particular capacity, a capacity for something, or a capacity to do something, they have the qualities required to do it. Capacity is a more formal word than ability. ...their capacity for hard work. ...his capacity to see the other person's point ofview.
-ability
(-əbɪlɪti)
Word forms: plural -abilities
suffix
-ability replaces '-able' at the end of adjectives to form nouns. Nouns formed in this way refer to the state or quality described by the adjectives.
...the desirability of global co-operation.
No one ever questioned her capability.
ability in British English
(əˈbɪlɪtɪ)
nounWord forms: plural-ties
1.
possession of the qualities required to do something; necessary skill, competence, or power
the ability to cope with a problem
2.
considerable proficiency; natural capability
a person of ability
3. (plural)
special talents
Word origin
C14: from Old French from Latin habilitās aptitude, handiness, from habilisable
ability in American English
(əˈbɪləti)
nounWord forms: pluralaˈbilities
1.
a being able; power to do (something physical or mental)
2.
skill, expertness, or talent
Word origin
ME abilite < MFr habilité < L habilitas < habilis: see able
-ability in American English
(əˈbɪləti)
a (specified) ability, capacity, or tendency
Word origin
L -abilitas: see -able & -ity
COBUILD Collocations
ability
academic ability
acting ability
aerial ability
amazing ability
athletic ability
exceptional ability
footballing ability
incredible ability
intellectual ability
linguistic ability
magical ability
musical ability
physical ability
possess an ability
psychic ability
reading ability
sporting ability
undoubted ability
unerring ability
unique ability
Examples of 'ability' in a sentence
ability
He is a athlete and has great ability.
The Sun (2016)
He told me a natural ability will only take you so far.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
They have a lot of technical ability in midfield.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He had this uncanny ability to slide tackle.
The Sun (2016)
But there was still a relationship between chess skill and cognitive ability in skilled players.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Football has a great ability to cast a spotlight on an issue for a period before the beam is focused elsewhere.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
For most of scientific history, humans have considered themselves unique in their cognitive abilities.
Smithsonian Mag (2017)
Do this hard and often enough, and the insulin will lose its ability to charm glucose into your cells.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
He said it showed 'our ability to sharpen our edge and improve our competitiveness '.
The Sun (2016)
From a sound defence, and confidence in your ability to stay in, all else follows.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
You have the blend of ability and confidence you need at work or in a job search.
The Sun (2012)
They all had the kind of natural ability that makes the rest of us ogle.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
It is not about their technical ability.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
His media power and his campaigning ability are his great strength.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
It is one that has to convince voters of its competence and ability to deliver.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Pupils should attend schools graded on ability only.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
It may tell a lot about your own management style and leadership ability.
Christianity Today (2000)
Their uncanny and unfailing ability to make life as difficult as possible for themselves.
The Sun (2013)
You lose the ability to improve fast.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
We need faculty who can combine many different abilities and skills.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Their special quality was an ability to work both intelligently and commercially.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
This further reduced my confidence in their ability to do what was required to win this war.
Admiral Sandy Woodward, With Patrick Robinson ONE HUNDRED DAYS (2003)
She seems to have enough belief and natural ability.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
If he turns it round and shows his ability then he is a real asset.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
He brought a striking intelligence as well as technical ability to his work.
The Times Literary Supplement (2014)
To lose that ability to pursue would be very damaging.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
He did as instructed, but ended up compromising his considerable athletic ability.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Tests and brain scans also suggested improved language acquisition, memory and cognitive abilities.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
He's got great ability and can run all day.
The Sun (2010)
The company has a training centre in Snowdonia where people test their leadership abilities in groups.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Otherwise it will lack competence, ability, and strength in the areas in which itneeds them the most.
Peter F. Drucker MANAGEMENT: task, responsibilities, practices (1974)
Quotations
From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needsKarl MarxCritique of the Gotha Programme
In other languages
ability
British English: ability /əˈbɪlɪtɪ/ NOUN
Your ability is the quality or skill that you have which makes it possible for you to do something.
Her drama teacher noticed her ability.
American English: ability
Arabic: قُدْرَة
Brazilian Portuguese: habilidade
Chinese: 能力
Croatian: sposobnost
Czech: schopnost
Danish: evne
Dutch: vermogen
European Spanish: aptitud
Finnish: kyky
French: capacité
German: Fähigkeit
Greek: ικανότητα
Italian: abilità
Japanese: 能力
Korean: 능력
Norwegian: evne
Polish: zdolność
European Portuguese: capacidade
Romanian: aptitudine
Russian: способность
Latin American Spanish: aptitud
Swedish: förmåga
Thai: ความสามารถ
Turkish: yetenek
Ukrainian: здатність
Vietnamese: khả năng
All related terms of 'ability'
high-ability
(of a student ) having a higher than average ability
mixed-ability
A mixed ability class or teaching system is one in which pupils of different abilities are taught together in the same class.
acting ability
Your ability to do something is the fact that you can do it.
aerial ability
Your ability to do something is the fact that you can do it.
amazing ability
Your ability to do something is the fact that you can do it.
magical ability
Your ability to do something is the fact that you can do it.
musical ability
Your ability to do something is the fact that you can do it.
psychic ability
Your ability to do something is the fact that you can do it.
reading ability
Your ability to do something is the fact that you can do it.
unique ability
Your ability to do something is the fact that you can do it.
academic ability
Your ability to do something is the fact that you can do it.
athletic ability
Your ability to do something is the fact that you can do it.
incredible ability
Your ability to do something is the fact that you can do it.
linguistic ability
Your ability to do something is the fact that you can do it.
physical ability
Your ability to do something is the fact that you can do it.
sporting ability
Your ability to do something is the fact that you can do it.
undoubted ability
Your ability to do something is the fact that you can do it.
unerring ability
Your ability to do something is the fact that you can do it.
ability to work
A policyholder's ability to work is the degree to which they are able to do a job , as a result of disability .
exceptional ability
Your ability to do something is the fact that you can do it.
footballing ability
Your ability to do something is the fact that you can do it.
intellectual ability
Your ability to do something is the fact that you can do it.
possess an ability
Your ability to do something is the fact that you can do it.
to the best of your ability
If you do something to the best of your abilities or to the best of your ability , you do it as well as you can .
Chinese translation of 'ability'
ability
(əˈbɪlɪtɪ)
n
(s) (= capacity)
ability (to do sth)(做某事的)能力 ((zuò mǒushì de) nénglì) (种(種), zhǒng)
(c/u) (= talent, skill) 才能 (cáinéng) (项, xiàng)
to the best of my ability/abilities尽(盡)我最大的努力 (jìn wǒ zuìdà de nǔlì)
1 (noun)
Definition
possession of the necessary skill or power to do something
No one had faith in his ability to do the job.
Synonyms
capability
These tasks are far beyond her capabilities.
power
He was so terrified that he had lost the power of speech.
potential
The boy has potential.
facility
They shared a facility for languages.
capacity
Our capacity for giving care, love and attention is limited.
qualification
That time with him is my qualification to write the book.
competence
I regard her as a woman of integrity and high professional competence.
proficiency
competency
potentiality
useful breeds whose potentiality has not been realized
Opposites
weakness
,
inability
,
incompetence
,
incapacity
,
powerlessness
,
incapability
2 (noun)
Definition
great skill or competence
Her drama teacher spotted her ability.
Synonyms
skill
The cut of a diamond depends on the skill of its craftsman.
talent
Both her children have a talent for music.
know-how (informal)
He hasn't got the know-how to run a farm.
gift
As a youth he discovered a gift for teaching.
expertise
the lack of management expertise within the company
faculty
a faculty for self-preservation
flair
She has a flair for languages.
competence
energy
accomplishment
She can now add basketball to her list of accomplishments.
knack
He's got the knack of getting people to listen.
aptitude
He discovered an aptitude for working in accounts.
proficiency
Evidence of basic proficiency in English is required.
dexterity
He showed great dexterity on the guitar.
cleverness
The artist demonstrates a cleverness with colours and textures.
potentiality
adroitness
He governed with an adroitness that earned him the nickname `old fox'.
adeptness
expertness
force
craft
Lilyanne learned her craft of cooking from her grandmother.
endowment
individuals with higher-than-average intellectual endowments
Quotation
From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs [Karl Marx – Critique of the Gotha Programme]
Additional synonyms
in the sense of accomplishment
Definition
personal abilities or skills
She can now add basketball to her list of accomplishments.
Synonyms
talent,
art,
ability,
skill,
gift,
achievement,
craft,
faculty,
capability,
forte,
attainment,
proficiency
in the sense of adeptness
Synonyms
skill,
ability,
facility,
expertise,
mastery,
knack,
aptitude,
proficiency,
dexterity,
deftness,
adroitness,
skilfulness
in the sense of adroitness
He governed with an adroitness that earned him the nickname `old fox'.