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Unable - 4 dictionary results

un⋅a⋅ble

  [uhn-ey-buhl]
Use Unable in a Sentence
–adjective
lacking the necessary power, competence, etc., to accomplish some specified act: He was unable to swim.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME; see un- 1 , able

Synonyms:
See incapable.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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un·a·ble   (ŭn-ā'bəl)   
adj.  
  1. Lacking the necessary power, authority, or means; not able; incapable: unable to get to town without a car.
  2. Lacking mental or physical capability or efficiency; incompetent: unable to walk.
  3. Usage Problem Not susceptible to action or treatment: a project unable to be financed with government funds. See Usage Note at able.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Unable

Un*a"ble\, a. Not able; not having sufficient strength, means, knowledge, skill, or the like; impotent' weak; helpless; incapable; -- now usually followed by an infinitive or an adverbial phrase; as, unable for work; unable to bear fatigue.

Sapless age and weak unable limbs. --Shak.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : Unable
Spanish: incapaz,
German: außerstande,
Japanese: ～できない
More Translations »

unable  (adj.)
c.1380, from un- (1) "not" + able. Modeled on O.Fr. inhabile or L. inhabilis.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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