unable

CEFRA2

/ʌnˈeɪbl̩/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

01
adjective
Not having the skill, power, or opportunity to do something.
02
adjective
Extra detail
Indicating that a requested course of action is not possible to carry out.

Examples

At a glance

Sits at A2 on the CEFR scale

Deep Dive

Extra meanings

In context

A former soldier who has been unable to find work since the war ended
Are you unable to mind your own business or something?
"November three seven kilo, climb and maintain twelve thousand." "Unable, we have pressurization problems. Maintaining nine thousand."

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Question 1 · Quick check

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

The word in print, with each source given in full.

Fulham switched off as Giggs took a quick corner to Valencia. He played it back to Giggs, whose cross was headed in by Nani with the lurking Rooney unable to add a touch.
2011 December 21, Tom Rostance, “Fulham 0-5 Man Utd”, in BBC Sport
Seeing the British establishment struggle with the financial sector is like watching an alcoholic […]. Until 2008 there was denial over what finance had become. […] But the scandals kept coming, […]. A broad section of the political class now recognises the need for change but remains unable to see the necessity of a fundamental overhaul.
2013 June 28, Joris Luyendijk, “Our banks are out of control”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 3, page 21
The train operating company owning group warned in early December that it was unable to publish its results for the year to July 3 2021, following an investigation into the running of Southeastern, which was stripped of its franchise in October [...].
2022 January 12, “Network News: Trading of Go-Ahead Group shares halted”, in RAIL, number 948, page 7

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From Middle English unable, unabel, unhable, unhabil, equivalent to un- + able.