un·a·ble

[uhn-ey-buhl]
adjective
lacking the necessary power, competence, etc., to accomplish some specified act: He was unable to swim.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English; see un-1, able


See incapable.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To unable
Collins
World English Dictionary
unable (ʌnˈeɪbəl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj (foll by to)
1.  lacking the necessary power, ability, or authority (to do something); not able
2.  archaic incompetent

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
00:10
Unable is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

unable
c.1380, from un- (1) "not" + able. Modeled on O.Fr. inhabile or L. inhabilis.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Toward morning they found themselves unable to feed the fire, which gradually
  died away.
But eventually they become completely invested in the profession, unable to
  envision themselves doing anything else.
But they have been unable to manipulate spin well enough to harness it within
  semiconductor-based devices.
Such a predator would have been unable to take on an adult ornithopod.
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT