able

CEFRA2

/ˈeɪ.bl̩/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Having the skill, power, or opportunity to do something.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Free from constraints preventing completion of task; permitted to; not prevented from.

Examples

  • Liberty consists of being able to make everything as harmless as possible.

  • The witnesses were able to refute the false testimony of the suspect.

At a glance

Sits at A2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
4

Also pronounced

  • [ˈeɪ̯.bɫ̩]
  • [ˈeɪ̯.bw]

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. Gifted with skill, intelligence, knowledge, or competence.

  2. Having the necessary powers or the needed resources to accomplish a task.

  3. Legally qualified or competent.

More examples

In context

  • You must be able to speak French for this job.

  • I'll see you as soon as I'm able.

  • In a democratic world you'd be able to say what you thought wherever you were.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

After months of training, she felt blank to run a full marathon without stopping.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

From Middle English able, from Old Northern French able, variant of Old French abile, habile, from Latin habilis (“easily managed, held, or handled; apt; skillful”). Doublet of habile.