-ability
UK/-əˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/US/-əˈbɪl.ə.ti/
-ability suffix: forms a noun from a verb or an adjective by changing from -able; ability, inclination or suitability for a specified function or condition.
Suffix
-ability (noun-forming suffix, usually uncountable, plural -abilities)
- Forms a noun from a verb or an adjective by changing from -able; ability, inclination or suitability for a specified function or condition.
- cook + -ability → cookability
-ability meaning in Malay
-ability in Malay
- forms a noun from a verb
- keboleh--an, keter--an
Forms of -ability
| plural | -abilities |
|---|---|
| alternative form | -ibility |
Origin of -ability
From Middle English -ablete, -iblete, -abilite, -ibilite, from Middle French -ableté, -ibleté, -abilité, -ibilité, from Latin -abilitas, -ibilitas, from -abilis (“able”) or -ibilis (“able”) + -tas. Equivalent to -able + -ity. See ability.
Words formed from -ability
- absorbability
- acceptability
- accountability
- adaptability
- affability
- availability
- bouncebackability
- capability
- culpability
- desirability
- durability
- flammability
- inability
- inflammability
- instability
- liability
- malleability
- nonability
- palpability
- probability
- readability
- reliability
- respectability
- stability
- suitability
- teachability
- traceability
- variability
Questions about -ability
- What does -ability mean?
- -ability means forms a noun from a verb or an adjective by changing from -able; ability, inclination or suitability for a specified function or condition.
- What is -ability in Malay?
- -ability in Malay is keboleh--an, keter--an. See -ability meaning in Malay.
- What part of speech is -ability?
- -ability is a suffix.
- How do you pronounce -ability?
- -ability is pronounced /-əˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/ (UK).
Words near -ability in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: -ability (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this entry: “-ability.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/-ability. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.