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inability
noun
in·abil·i·ty
ˌi-nə-ˈbi-lə-tē
: lack of sufficient power, resources, or capacity
his inability to do math
Synonyms
Examples of inability in a Sentence
She has shown an inability to concentrate.
the inability of the government to cope with the problem
Recent Examples on the Web
Entry Passes To Nikola Jokic One of the ongoing bugaboos for the Nuggets through the course of the career of their three-time MVP and Finals MVP Nikola Jokic has been his teammates’ inability at times to simply feed him the ball in the post.
—Joel Rush, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
As litigation slowly advances, AI companies advance an argument that there will be no AI absent the ability to freely scrape content for training, resulting in our inability to leverage the promise of AI to solve cancer, mitigate global climate change, and eradicate global hunger.
—Craig Peters, Fortune, 2 Dec. 2024
Jeong-won is still haunted by the experience, and by his inability to do more to stop it as a child.
—Kayti Burt, TIME, 29 Nov. 2024
The inability of his receivers to catch his passes was too much for the fans at SoFi Stadium to bear, prompting them to boo after one particular fourth-quarter drop.
—Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 26 Nov. 2024
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Word History
Etymology
Middle English inhabilite disqualification, from Medieval Latin inhabilitas, from Latin in- + habilitas ability
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of inability was
in the 15th century
Dictionary Entries Near inability
Cite this Entry
“Inability.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inability. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.
Kids Definition
inability
noun
in·abil·i·ty
ˌin-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē
: lack of ability, power, or means
his inability to carry a tune
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