eligible

1 of 2

adjective

el·​i·​gi·​ble ˈe-lə-jə-bəl How to pronounce eligible (audio)
1
a
: qualified to participate or be chosen
eligible to retire
b
: permitted under football rules to catch a forward pass
2
: worthy of being chosen
an eligible young bachelor
eligibly adverb

eligible

2 of 2

noun

plural eligibles
: a person or thing that is qualified or permitted to do or be something : one that is eligible for something
As with the College of Cardinals and the papacy, where every cardinal, in theory, is eligible to be Pope but the number of real eligibles is substantially smaller, so with the American Presidency.Stephen R. Graubard
… when she entered life, beautiful, accomplished, and an heiress, she had, of course, all the eligibles … of the other sex sighing at her feet …Harriet Beecher Stowe

Examples of eligible in a Sentence

Adjective … more than six years since the fall of the Taliban, fewer than 30% of eligible girls are enrolled in schools, and the infrastructure is so poor that only a tiny fraction are likely to get the education they need to enjoy the fruits of emancipation. Aryn Baker, Time, 28 Jan. 2008
She wanted to start her own family. She was twenty-six and without prospects. At church her mother prayed, and at Crystal Nail, where she lacquered and lengthened, her mother asked customers about eligible young men. She kept Li En's graduation photo mounted in the right corner of her mirror, so that every customer would see her daughter, diploma in hand. Max Apple, Atlantic, November 2003
I'd like to join but I'm not eligible yet.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
To enter, a person must live in an eligible swing state, sign a petition supporting the First and Second Amendment, and register to vote in the upcoming election. Maia Pandey, Journal Sentinel, 25 Oct. 2024 To be eligible for the prize, the person will need to be a registered voter in one of the seven key battleground states. Siladitya Ray, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
Noun
Of the 28 Modern-Era semifinalists, five are first-year eligible which includes cornerback Darrelle Revis, tackle Joe Thomas and guard Jahri Evans. Dallas News, 3 Jan. 2023 New Mexico State Bowl eligible before Saturday thanks to an NCAA waiver granted earlier this week, the Aggies completed an impressive six-win finish under new coach Jerry Kill by beating Valparaiso 65-3 in a rescheduled season finale. Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY, 4 Dec. 2022 See all Example Sentences for eligible 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'eligible.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Late Latin eligibilis, from Latin eligere to choose — more at elect

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1656, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of eligible was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near eligible

Cite this Entry

“Eligible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eligible. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

eligible

adjective
el·​i·​gi·​ble ˈel-ə-jə-bəl How to pronounce eligible (audio)
: qualified to be chosen or to participate
eligible to vote
eligibility noun
eligible noun
eligibly adverb
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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