- the quality of being capable; ability
- the quality of being susceptible to the use or treatment indicated: the capability of a metal to be fused
- (usually plural) a characteristic that may be developed; potential aptitude
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
ca•pa•bil•i•ty /ˌkeɪpəˈbɪlɪti/USA pronunciation
n. the power or ability to wage a war: [uncountable]the nuclear capability of that country.[countable]nuclear and weapons research capabilities.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- power;
ability;
the quality of being capable: [uncountable]She is an actress of great capability.[countable]We admire her capabilities as an instructor.
ca•pa•bil•i•ty
(kā′pə bil′i tē),USA pronunciation n., pl. -ties.
- the quality of being capable;
capacity;
ability:His capability was unquestionable. - the ability to undergo or be affected by a given treatment or action:the capability of glass in resisting heat.
- Usually, capabilities. qualities, abilities, features, etc., that can be used or developed;
potential:Though dilapidated, the house has great capabilities.
- Late Latin capābili(s) capable + -ty2
- Middle French capabilité)
- (1580–90
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
capability /ˌkeɪpəˈbɪlɪtɪ/ n ( pl -ties)
'capability' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
ability
- bearing
- bouncy
- Brown
- capacity
- disarm
- disarmament
- faculty
- fire power
- -ile
- one-trick pony
- overkill
- Patriot
- psychopath
- reflectivity
- resource
- test
- volition
- air power
- air-superiority
- answerback
- aptitude
- automatic
- biocompatibility
- built-in
- cherry bomb
- comparison
- conductive
- deep
- deindustrialize
- depth
- disable
- dynamic headroom
- economic determinism
- effective
- electroconductive
- endowment
- entry-level
- ESP
- firepower
- fitness
- gerontomorphosis
- gift
- hardiness
- hound dog
- humanly
- ile-
- incapable
- inducer
- intelligibility