Word Meanings - ABILITY - Book Publishers vocabulary database

The quality or state of being able; power to perform, whether physical, moral, intellectual, conventional, or legal; capacity; skill or competence in doing; sufficiency of strength, skill, resources, etc.; -- in the plural, faculty, talent. Then

Additional info about word: ABILITY

The quality or state of being able; power to perform, whether physical, moral, intellectual, conventional, or legal; capacity; skill or competence in doing; sufficiency of strength, skill, resources, etc.; -- in the plural, faculty, talent. Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren. Acts xi. 29. Natural abilities are like natural plants, that need pruning by study. Bacon. The public men of England, with much of a peculiar kind of ability. Macaulay. Syn. -- Capacity; talent; cleverness; faculty; capability; efficiency; aptitude; aptness; address; dexterity; skill. Ability, Capacity. These words come into comparison when applied to the higher intellectual powers. Ability has reference to the active exercise of our faculties. It implies not only native vigor of mind, but that ease and promptitude of execution which arise from mental training. Thus, we speak of the ability with which a book is written, an argument maintained, a negotiation carried on, etc. It always something to be done, and the power of doing it. Capacity has reference to the receptive powers. In its higher exercises it supposes great quickness of apprehension and breadth of intellect, with an uncommon aptitude for acquiring and retaining knowledge. Hence it carries with it the idea of resources and undeveloped power. Thus we speak of the extraordinary capacity of such men as Lord Bacon, Blaise Pascal, and Edmund Burke. "Capacity," says H. Taylor, "is requisite to devise, and ability to execute, a great enterprise." The word abilities, in the plural, embraces both these qualities, and denotes high mental endowments. (more info) spelling habilité , L. habilitas aptitude, ability,

Possible synonyms: (Same meaning words of ABILITY)

• Calibre
• Gauge
• diameter
• ability
• capacity
• force
• strength
• power
• Capacity
• Space
• size
• volume
• tonnage
• calibre
• faculty
• compatability
• cleverness
• talents
• magnitude
• parts
• competency
• compressiveness
• accommodation
• Competence
• Power
• adequacy
• sufficiency
• wealth
• Intellect
• Understanding
• mind
• reason
• instinct
• consciousness
• sense
• brains
• talent
• genius
• Mi:rlit
• Strength

Related words: (words related to ABILITY)

• FORCE
  To stuff; to lard; to farce. Wit larded with malice, and malice forced with wit. Shak.
• GAUGE
  To measure the dimensions of, or to test the accuracy of the form of, as of a part of a gunlock. The vanes nicely gauged on each side. Derham. 4. To draw into equidistant gathers by running a thread through it, as cloth or a garment. 5. To measure
• SENSE
  A faculty, possessed by animals, of perceiving external objects by means of impressions made upon certain organs (sensory or sense organs) of the body, or of perceiving changes in the condition of the body; as, the senses of sight, smell, hearing,
• VOLUMENOMETRY
  The method or process of measuring volumes by means of the volumenometer.
• VOLUMENOMETER
  An instrument for measuring the volume of a body, especially a solid, by means of the difference in tension caused by its presence and absence in a confined portion of air.
• INSTINCTION
  Instinct; incitement; inspiration. Sir T. Elyot.
• TALENT
  tolerare, tollere, to lift up, sustain, endure. See Thole, v. t., 1. Among the ancient Greeks, a weight and a denomination of money equal to 60 minæ or 6,000 drachmæ. The Attic talent, as a weight, was about 57 lbs. avoirdupois; as a denomination
• REASONING
  1. The act or process of adducing a reason or reasons; manner of presenting one's reasons. 2. That which is offered in argument; proofs or reasons when arranged and developed; course of argument. His reasoning was sufficiently profound. Macaulay.
• ABILITY
  The quality or state of being able; power to perform, whether physical, moral, intellectual, conventional, or legal; capacity; skill or competence in doing; sufficiency of strength, skill, resources, etc.; -- in the plural, faculty, talent. Then
• STRENGTHFUL
  Abounding in strength; full of strength; strong. -- Strength"ful*ness, n. Florence my friend, in court my faction Not meanly strengthful. Marston.
• POWERFUL
  Large; capacious; -- said of veins of ore. Syn. -- Mighty; strong; potent; forcible; efficacious; energetic; intense. -- Pow"er*ful*ly, adv. -- Pow"er*ful*ness, n. (more info) 1. Full of power; capable of producing great effects of any
• INSTINCT
  Urged or sas, birds instinct with life. The chariot of paternal deity . . . Itself instinct with spirit, but convoyed By four cherubic shapes. Milton. A noble performance, instinct with sound principle. Brougham. (more info) instigate, incite;
• POWERABLE
  1. Capable of being effected or accomplished by the application of power; possible. J. Young. 2. Capable of exerting power; powerful. Camden.
• GAUGER
  One who gauges; an officer whose business it is to ascertain the contents of casks.
• GAUGEABLE
  Capable of being gauged.
• REASONLESS
  1. Destitute of reason; as, a reasonless man or mind. Shak. 2. Void of reason; not warranted or supported by reason; unreasonable. This proffer is absurd and reasonless. Shak.
• TONNAGE
  1. The weight of goods carried in a boat or a ship. 2. The cubical content or burden of a vessel, or vessels, in tons; or, the amount of weight which one or several vessels may carry. See Ton, n. . A fleet . . . with an aggregate tonnage of 60,000
• UNDERSTANDINGLY
  In an understanding manner; intelligibly; with full knowledge or comprehension; intelligently; as, to vote upon a question understandingly; to act or judge understandingly. The gospel may be neglected, but in can not be understandingly disbelieved.
• INTELLECTUALIST
  1. One who overrates the importance of the understanding. Bacon. 2. One who accepts the doctrine of intellectualism.
• REASONABLY
  1. In a reasonable manner. 2. Moderately; tolerably. "Reasonably perfect in the language." Holder.
• ADORABILITY
  Adorableness.
• AMENABILITY
  The quality of being amenable; amenableness. Coleridge.
• SUITABILITY
  The quality or state of being suitable; suitableness.
• INTRACTABILITY
  The quality of being intractable; intractableness. Bp. Hurd.
• EQUABILITY
  The quality or condition of being equable; evenness or uniformity; as, equability of temperature; the equability of the mind. For the celestial bodies, the equability and constancy of their motions argue them ordained by wisdom. Ray.
• COMMENSURABILITY
  The quality of being commersurable. Sir T. Browne.
• DEFLAGRABILITY
  The state or quality of being deflagrable. The ready deflagrability . . . of saltpeter. Boyle.
• INSENSE
  To make to understand; to instruct. Halliwell.
• IMMEABILITY
  Want of power to pass, or to permit passage; impassableness. Immeability of the juices. Arbuthnot.
• INEVITABILITY
  Impossibility to be avoided or shunned; inevitableness. Shelford.
• EFFUMABILITY
  The capability of flying off in fumes or vapor. Boyle.
• DISRESPECTABILITY
  Want of respectability. Thackeray.
• TAMABILITY
  The quality or state of being tamable; tamableness.
• REINFORCEMENT
  See REëNFORCEMENT
• INSOCIABILITY
  The quality of being insociable; want of sociability; unsociability. Bp. Warburton.
• OPPOSABILITY
  The condition or quality of being opposable. In no savage have I ever seen the slightest approach to opposability of the great toe, which is the essential distinguishing feature of apes. A. R. Wallace.