inability

noun

in·​abil·​i·​ty ˌi-nə-ˈbi-lə-tē How to pronounce inability (audio)
: lack of sufficient power, resources, or capacity
his inability to do math

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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 See all Example Sentences for inability 

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 How to pronounce inability (audio)
: lack of ability, power, or means
his inability to carry a tune

More from Merriam-Webster on inability

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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