Able — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

(usually followed by `to') having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something

have the skills and qualifications to do things well

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/kˈæmən/

🇬🇧British English

/bɹˈaɪbəbəl/

🇮🇳Indian English

/bɹˈaɪbəbəl/

1 syllable Say it as /kˈæmən/.

Examples

able to swim
she was able to program her computer
we were at last able to buy a car

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

able-bodied capable

Antonyms

unable

Parts of Speech

adjective	(usually followed by `to') having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something “able to swim”
adjective	have the skills and qualifications to do things well “able teachers”
adjective	having inherent physical or mental ability or capacity “able to learn”
adjective	having a strong healthy body “an able seaman”

Word Forms

ability	noun	possession of the qualities (especially mental qualities) required to do something or get something done
capableness	noun	the quality of being capable -- physically or intellectually or legally
capability	noun	an aptitude that may be developed

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

fähig

(normalerweise gefolgt von „to“), dass man über die notwendigen Mittel, Fähigkeiten, Kenntnisse oder Befugnisse verfügt, um etwas zu tun

🇫🇷French

capable

(généralement suivi de « pour ») avoir les moyens, les compétences, le savoir-faire ou l'autorité nécessaires pour faire quelque chose

🇪🇸Spanish

capaz

(generalmente seguido de "to") tener los medios, habilidades, conocimientos o autoridad necesarios para hacer algo

🇮🇹Italian

capace

(di solito seguito da "a") possedere i mezzi, le abilità, il know-how o l'autorità necessari per fare qualcosa

🇳🇱Dutch

bekwaam

(meestal gevolgd door 'to') over de noodzakelijke middelen, vaardigheden, knowhow of autoriteit beschikken om iets te doen

🇵🇹Portuguese

capaz

(geralmente seguido por `to') ter os meios, habilidades, conhecimentos ou autoridade necessários para fazer algo

🇷🇺Russian

способный

(обычно за которым следует слово «to») наличие необходимых средств, навыков, ноу-хау или полномочий, чтобы что-то сделать.

India

🇮🇳Hindi

योग्य

(आमतौर पर 'से' के बाद) कुछ करने के लिए आवश्यक साधन या कौशल या जानकारी या अधिकार होना

🇧🇩Bengali

সক্ষম

(সাধারণত 'টু' দ্বারা অনুসরণ করা) কিছু করার প্রয়োজনীয় উপায় বা দক্ষতা বা জানা-কীভাবে বা কর্তৃত্ব থাকা

🇮🇳Tamil

முடியும்

(பொதுவாக `to' ஐத் தொடர்ந்து) ஏதாவது செய்வதற்குத் தேவையான வழிமுறைகள் அல்லது திறமை அல்லது அறிவு அல்லது அதிகாரம் ஆகியவற்றைக் கொண்டிருத்தல்

🇮🇳Telugu

చేయగలరు

(సాధారణంగా `to' తర్వాత) ఏదైనా చేయడానికి అవసరమైన సాధనాలు లేదా నైపుణ్యం లేదా జ్ఞానం లేదా అధికారం కలిగి ఉంటుంది

🇮🇳Marathi

सक्षम

(सामान्यतः `ते' नंतर) आवश्यक साधन किंवा कौशल्य किंवा ज्ञान किंवा अधिकार असणे.

🇮🇳Gujarati

સક્ષમ

(સામાન્ય રીતે 'ટુ' દ્વારા અનુસરવામાં આવે છે) કંઈક કરવા માટે જરૂરી સાધન અથવા કુશળતા અથવા જાણ-કેવી રીતે અથવા સત્તા હોય છે

🇮🇳Kannada

ಸಾಧ್ಯವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ

(ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯವಾಗಿ `ಟು' ನಂತರ) ಏನನ್ನಾದರೂ ಮಾಡಲು ಅಗತ್ಯವಾದ ವಿಧಾನಗಳು ಅಥವಾ ಕೌಶಲ್ಯ ಅಥವಾ ಜ್ಞಾನ ಅಥವಾ ಅಧಿಕಾರವನ್ನು ಹೊಂದಿರುವುದು

🇮🇳Malayalam

കഴിവുള്ള

(സാധാരണയായി `ടു' എന്നതിന് ശേഷം) എന്തെങ്കിലും ചെയ്യാൻ ആവശ്യമായ മാർഗങ്ങളോ വൈദഗ്ധ്യമോ അറിവോ അധികാരമോ ഉള്ളത്

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਯੋਗ

(ਆਮ ਤੌਰ 'ਤੇ 'ਤੋਂ' ਦੇ ਬਾਅਦ) ਕੁਝ ਕਰਨ ਲਈ ਜ਼ਰੂਰੀ ਸਾਧਨ ਜਾਂ ਹੁਨਰ ਜਾਂ ਜਾਣਕਾਰੀ ਜਾਂ ਅਧਿਕਾਰ ਹੋਣਾ

🇵🇰Urdu

قابل

(عام طور پر 'to' کے بعد) ضروری ذرائع یا مہارت یا کچھ کرنے کا طریقہ یا اختیار ہونا

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

有能力的

（通常后跟“to”）拥有做某事所需的手段或技能或知识或权力

🇯🇵Japanese

できる

(通常、その後に「to」が続きます) 何かをするために必要な手段、スキル、ノウハウ、または権限を持っていること

🇰🇷Korean

할 수 있는

(보통 'to'가 뒤따른다) 어떤 일을 하는 데 필요한 수단, 기술, 노하우, 권위를 갖고 있는 것

🇻🇳Vietnamese

có thể

(thường theo sau là `to') có phương tiện, kỹ năng, bí quyết hoặc thẩm quyền cần thiết để làm việc gì đó

🇹🇭Thai

สามารถ

(มักตามด้วย `to') มีวิธีการหรือทักษะที่จำเป็นหรือความรู้หรืออำนาจในการทำบางสิ่งบางอย่าง

🇮🇩Indonesian

mampu

(biasanya diikuti dengan `untuk') memiliki sarana atau keterampilan atau pengetahuan atau wewenang yang diperlukan untuk melakukan sesuatu

🇵🇭Filipino

kaya

(karaniwang sinusundan ng `to') pagkakaroon ng kinakailangang paraan o kasanayan o kaalaman o awtoridad upang gawin ang isang bagay

🇲🇾Malay

mampu

(biasanya diikuti dengan `untuk') mempunyai cara atau kemahiran yang diperlukan atau pengetahuan atau kuasa untuk melakukan sesuatu

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

قادر

(يتبعها عادة "إلى") امتلاك الوسائل أو المهارة أو المعرفة أو السلطة اللازمة للقيام بشيء ما

🇮🇷Persian

قادر است

(معمولاً "به" دنبال می شود) داشتن ابزار یا مهارت یا دانش یا اختیار لازم برای انجام کاری

🇹🇷Turkish

hünerli

(genellikle arkasından "to" gelir) bir şeyi yapmak için gerekli araca veya beceriye veya bilgi birikimine veya yetkiye sahip olmak

🇮🇱Hebrew

מְסוּגָל

(בדרך כלל אחריו 'to') בעל האמצעים או המיומנות או הידע או הסמכות הדרושים לעשות משהו

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'able'?

The primary meaning of 'able' is '(usually followed by `to') having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'able' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'able' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'able' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'able' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'able' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'able' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'able' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'able' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'able' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'able' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted