- (postpositive) followed by to: lacking the necessary power, ability, or authority (to do something); not able
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
un•a•ble /ʌnˈeɪbəl/USA pronunciation
adj. [be + ~ + to + verb]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- lacking the necessary power, ability, competence, time, etc., to accomplish some act:He's unable to swim.
un•a•ble
(un ā′bəl),USA pronunciation adj.
- lacking the necessary power, competence, etc., to accomplish some specified act:He was unable to swim.
- 1350–1400; Middle English; see un-1, able
- See incapable.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
unable /ʌnˈeɪbəl/ adj
'unable' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
bankrupt
- barren
- bias
- blind
- captive
- checkmate
- conservator
- contradictory
- count
- cripple
- deaf
- deaf-and-dumb
- deaf-mute
- determinate
- discard
- fail
- fence
- flightless
- forget
- generality
- GIFT
- godfather offer
- hands
- hard of hearing
- heart failure
- help
- helpless
- home help
- hopeless
- housebound
- ill
- illegible
- illiterate
- immitigable
- immovable
- impacted
- imponderable
- impotent
- impregnable
- incalculable
- incoherent
- incompatible
- indefatigable
- indeterminate
- indivisible
- inefficient
- injury list
- in vitro fertilization
- irreducible
- ketone body