Unable — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

(usually followed by `to') not having the necessary means or skill or know-how

(usually followed by `to') lacking necessary physical or mental ability

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/ʌnˈeɪbəl/

🇬🇧British English

/ʌnˈeɪbəl/

🇮🇳Indian English

/ʌnˈeɪbəl/

2 syllables Say it as /ʌnˈeɪbəl/.

Examples

unable to get to town without a car
unable to obtain funds
dyslexics are unable to learn to read adequately

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

ineffectual ineffective

Antonyms

able

Parts of Speech

adjective	(usually followed by `to') not having the necessary means or skill or know-how “unable to get to town without a car”
adjective	(usually followed by `to') lacking necessary physical or mental ability “dyslexics are unable to learn to read adequately”
adjective	lacking in power or forcefulness “an ineffectual ruler”

Word Forms

ineffectiveness	noun	lacking the power to be effective
ineffectualness	noun	lacking the power to be effective
ineffectuality	noun	lacking the power to be effective

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

unfähig

(normalerweise gefolgt von „to“), nicht über die erforderlichen Mittel, Fähigkeiten oder das erforderliche Know-how verfügen

🇫🇷French

incapable

(généralement suivi de « à ») ne pas avoir les moyens, les compétences ou le savoir-faire nécessaires

🇪🇸Spanish

incapaz

(generalmente seguido de "to") no tener los medios, habilidades o conocimientos necesarios

🇮🇹Italian

incapace

(di solito seguito da "a") non avere i mezzi, le competenze o il know-how necessari

🇳🇱Dutch

niet in staat

(meestal gevolgd door 'to') niet over de nodige middelen, vaardigheden of knowhow beschikken

🇵🇹Portuguese

impossível

(geralmente seguido por `to') não ter os meios, habilidades ou know-how necessários

🇷🇺Russian

не могущий

(обычно за которым следует слово «to») отсутствие необходимых средств, навыков или ноу-хау

India

🇮🇳Hindi

असमर्थ

(आमतौर पर 'से' के बाद) आवश्यक साधन या कौशल या जानकारी नहीं होना

🇧🇩Bengali

অক্ষম

(সাধারণত 'টু' দ্বারা অনুসরণ করা) প্রয়োজনীয় উপায় বা দক্ষতা বা জ্ঞান না থাকা

🇮🇳Tamil

முடியவில்லை

(பொதுவாக `to' ஐத் தொடர்ந்து) தேவையான வழிமுறைகள் அல்லது திறமை அல்லது அறிவு இல்லாதது

🇮🇳Telugu

కుదరదు

(సాధారణంగా `to' తర్వాత) అవసరమైన సాధనాలు లేదా నైపుణ్యం లేదా పరిజ్ఞానం లేదు

🇮🇳Marathi

अक्षम

(सामान्यतः `ते' नंतर) आवश्यक साधन किंवा कौशल्य किंवा माहिती नसणे

🇮🇳Gujarati

અસમર્થ

(સામાન્ય રીતે `ટુ' દ્વારા અનુસરવામાં આવે છે) જરૂરી સાધન અથવા કૌશલ્ય અથવા કેવી રીતે જાણતા નથી

🇮🇳Kannada

ಸಾಧ್ಯವಾಗುತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ

(ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯವಾಗಿ `ಟು' ನಂತರ) ಅಗತ್ಯ ವಿಧಾನಗಳು ಅಥವಾ ಕೌಶಲ್ಯ ಅಥವಾ ಜ್ಞಾನವನ್ನು ಹೊಂದಿಲ್ಲ

🇮🇳Malayalam

സാധ്യമല്ല

(സാധാരണയായി `ടു' എന്നതിന് ശേഷം) ആവശ്യമായ മാർഗങ്ങളോ വൈദഗ്ധ്യമോ അറിവോ ഇല്ല

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਅਸਮਰੱਥ

(ਆਮ ਤੌਰ 'ਤੇ 'ਤੋਂ' ਦੇ ਬਾਅਦ) ਲੋੜੀਂਦੇ ਸਾਧਨ ਜਾਂ ਹੁਨਰ ਜਾਂ ਜਾਣਕਾਰੀ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੈ

🇵🇰Urdu

قابل نہیں

(عام طور پر 'to' کے بعد) ضروری ذرائع یا مہارت یا علم نہ ہونا

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

无法

（通常后跟“to”）没有必要的手段或技能或诀窍

🇯🇵Japanese

できない

(通常、その後に「to」が続きます) 必要な手段、スキル、ノウハウを持っていないこと

🇰🇷Korean

할 수 없는

(보통 'to'가 뒤따름) 필요한 수단이나 기술, 노하우가 없음

🇻🇳Vietnamese

không thể

(thường theo sau là `to') không có phương tiện, kỹ năng hoặc bí quyết cần thiết

🇹🇭Thai

ไม่สามารถ

(มักตามด้วย `to') ไม่มีวิธีการหรือทักษะหรือความรู้ที่จำเป็น

🇮🇩Indonesian

tidak dapat

(biasanya diikuti dengan `ke') tidak memiliki sarana atau keterampilan atau pengetahuan yang diperlukan

🇵🇭Filipino

hindi kaya

(karaniwang sinusundan ng `to') hindi pagkakaroon ng kinakailangang paraan o kasanayan o kaalaman

🇲🇾Malay

tak mampu

(biasanya diikuti dengan `to') tidak mempunyai cara atau kemahiran atau pengetahuan yang diperlukan

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

غير قادر

(يتبعها عادة "إلى") عدم امتلاك الوسائل أو المهارة أو الدراية اللازمة

🇮🇷Persian

قادر نیست

(معمولاً "به" دنبال می شود) نداشتن ابزار یا مهارت یا دانش لازم

🇹🇷Turkish

aciz

(genellikle arkasından "to" gelir) gerekli araçlara, becerilere veya bilgi birikimine sahip olmamak

🇮🇱Hebrew

לא מסוגל

(בדרך כלל ואחריו 'to') ללא האמצעים או המיומנות או הידע הדרושים

Test Yourself1 / 3

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

The primary meaning of 'unable' is '(usually followed by `to') not having the necessary means or skill or know-how'.

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

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

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

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

Community Poll1 / 6

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

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'unable' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

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

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

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

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

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

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

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

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted