adj
Meaning 1
Not able; lacking a certain ability.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- Are you unable to mind your own business or something?
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
unable
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/ʌnˈeɪbl̩/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -eɪbəl
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CMU ARPABET: AH0 N EY1 B AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
intj
Meaning 2
Indicating that a requested course of action is not possible to carry out.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: aeronautics, aerospace, aviation, business, engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences
Examples
- "November three seven kilo, climb and maintain twelve thousand." "Unable, we have pressurization problems. Maintaining nine thousand."
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 3
To render unable; to disable.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: nonstandard, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective
Meaning 4
(usually followed by `to') not having the necessary means or skill or know-how
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- unable to get to town without a car
- unable to obtain funds
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: able
adjective satellite
Meaning 5
lacking in power or forcefulness
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- an ineffectual ruler
- like an unable phoenix in hot ashes
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: ineffective, ineffectual
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Middle English unable, unabel, unhable, unhabil, equivalent to un- + able.
From Middle English unablen, equivalent to un- + able.
Across languages
Translations
35 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Arabic: عَاجِز (ʕājiz) — not able
- Bulgarian: неспосо́бен (nesposóben) — not able
- Catalan: incapaç — not able
- Chinese Mandarin: 不能 (bù néng) — not able
- Chinese Mandarin: 不能夠 — not able
- Chinese Mandarin: 不能够 (bù nénggòu) — not able
- Chinese Mandarin: 不会 (bù huì) — not able
- Chinese Mandarin: 不可以 (bù kěyǐ) — not able
- Czech: neschopný — not able
- Dutch: niet in staat — not able
- Dutch: onbekwaam — not able
- Esperanto: senpova — not able
- Esperanto: nekapabla — not able
- Finnish: kykenemätön — not able
- Finnish: kyvytön — not able
- French: incapable — not able
- Georgian: შეუძლებელი (šeuʒlebeli) — not able
- Georgian: უძლური (uʒluri) — not able
- German: unfähig — not able
- German: außerstanden — not able
- Greek: ανίκανος (aníkanos) — not able
- Hindi: असमर्थ (asmarth) — not able
- Hungarian: képtelen — not able
- Ido: nekapabla — not able
- Italian: incapace — not able
- Māori: tē taea — not able
- Portuguese: incapaz — not able
- Romanian: incapabil — not able
- Romanian: neputincios — not able
- Romanian: incompetent — not able
- Russian: неспосо́бный (nesposóbnyj) — not able
- Spanish: incapaz — not able
- Spanish: impotente — not able
- Swedish: oförmögen — not able
- Woiwurrung: mon-tooleen-narr — not able
Real reading context