eligible

1 of 2

adjective

el·​i·​gi·​ble ˈe-lə-jə-bəl 

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

ˈe-lə-jə-blē 

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

In the state’s second-most-populous county, Middlesex, for example, eligible Asian American voters make up almost 38% of the electorate. —Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 6 Nov. 2024

Michigan Michigan's Secretary of State office says updating voter registration information is necessary when an eligible voter has moved to a new address within Michigan, recently moved to Michigan or changed their legal name. —Patrick Maguire, CBS News, 5 Nov. 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

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

Phrases Containing eligible

• eligible bachelor
• re-eligible

Kids Definition

eligible

adjective

el·​i·​gi·​ble ˈel-ə-jə-bəl 

: qualified to be chosen or to participate

eligible to vote

eligibility

ˌel-ə-jə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

eligible noun

eligibly

ˈel-ə-jə-blē 

adverb