able

able — adjective

1. having what you need to do something — for example the strength, knowledge, time

1.adjectiveA2
Definition

having what you need to do something — for example the strength, knowledge, time, money, or chance — so that doing it is possible for you.

Example

Bram was able to lift the heavy box because she trains at the gym every morning.

be able to + verb showing physical capability

After three months of lessons, Wen is finally able to read short stories in Spanish.

be able to + verb after gaining a skill

Common collocations
  • barely able to
  • just about able to
  • no longer able to
  • perfectly able to
Synonyms
  • capable

    more formal; often used attributively (a capable manager)

  • can

    modal verb; covers similar meaning but no infinitive form, so 'able to' fills the gap after 'will', 'have', etc.

  • fit

    stresses being in the right physical or mental state for an action

Antonyms
  • unable

    direct opposite, same grammar (be unable to + verb)

  • incapable

    stronger; suggests a long-term lack rather than a one-off limit

Grammar Patterns

be able to + verb

able to do something

Usage Note

Predicative only — cannot stand before a noun in this sense. You say 'she is able to swim' but not 'an able to swim girl'. Past form 'was/were able to' often replaces 'could' when reporting one specific success rather than a general capacity.

Common Mistakes

I am able swim.
I am able to swim.
always followed by 'to' + base verb.
She could finish the marathon yesterday.
She was able to finish the marathon yesterday.
for one specific past achievement, prefer 'was/were able to' over 'could'.

2. to do something with less difficulty than before, usually after some change in y

2.adjectiveB1
Definition

to do something with less difficulty than before, usually after some change in your situation that makes the task smoother.

Example

With her new glasses, Grandma Lin is much better able to read the newspaper at breakfast.

comparative: better able to + verb

After moving closer to the office, Theo is more able to spend evenings with his children.

more able to + verb

Common collocations
  • better able to
  • much better able to
  • more able to
  • less able to
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • less able to

    the comparative opposite within the same pattern

Grammar Patterns

be better able to + verb

be more able to + verb

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense almost always appears with 'better', 'more', 'less', or 'again', signalling a change that has made the action easier than it was. Plain 'be able to' without one of these markers belongs to sense 1.

Common Mistakes

After surgery, he is able to walk than before.
After surgery, he is better able to walk than before.
needs 'better' or 'more' to mark the comparison.

3. clever and good at a job — used as a quiet compliment to describe someone whose

3.adjectiveC2
Definition

clever and good at a job — used as a quiet compliment to describe someone whose work is reliably of high quality.

Example

Dr. Sven is an able surgeon whose patients travel from across the country to see her.

attributive: an able + profession noun

The new mayor surrounded herself with able advisers who knew the city well.

attributive plural: able + people noun

Common collocations
  • an able lawyer
  • an able administrator
  • an able leader
  • highly able students
Synonyms
  • capable

    very close in meaning; works both before and after the noun, unlike sense 3 of 'able'

  • competent

    suggests meeting the standard rather than going beyond it

  • talented

    stresses a natural gift, not just trained skill

  • skilled

    implies practised technique in a specific craft

Antonyms
  • incompetent

    stronger; suggests work falls below an acceptable level

  • inept

    formal; stresses clumsy or awkward performance

Grammar Patterns

an able + noun

Usage Note

Attributive only — placed before a noun, never after a linking verb in this sense. 'She is able' means sense 1 (she can do it), not 'she is skilful'. Common with profession nouns: lawyer, manager, teacher, leader, scholar.

Common Mistakes

My new colleague is very able.' (when meaning skilful)
My new colleague is very capable.' or 'I have a very able new colleague.
to compliment skill, place 'able' before the noun.
a able player
an able player
'able' starts with a vowel sound, so the article is 'an'.

able — suffix

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words say someone can do something, but they look at it from different angles. 'Able' (in the 'be able to' pattern) is the most everyday choice — it just states that the strength, time, or chance for an action is there: 'I'm able to come on Tuesday.' 'Capable' is broader and a touch more formal; it points to a general fitness for a kind of work, and unlike sense 3 of 'able' it works both before and after a noun: 'a capable nurse', 'she's very capable'. 'Competent' is cooler — it says the person reaches the standard, no more: 'a competent driver' is safe but not exciting. 'Qualified' adds the idea of formal training or a license — a 'qualified electrician' has paperwork that 'able', 'capable', and 'competent' alone do not imply.

able ↗capable ↗competent ↗qualified ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • able lawyer
  • able administrator
  • able leader
  • able student
  • able assistant

Adverbs

  • barely able
  • just about able
  • perfectly able
  • no longer able
  • highly able

Phrases

  • be able to
  • willing and able
  • ready, willing, and able
  • as far as I am able

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishModern English

'Able' came into English in the 14th century from Old French 'able', which trimmed Latin 'habilis' meaning 'easy to handle, fitting, suitable'. 'Habilis' itself was built from 'habere' ('to hold, to have'), so the original picture was something you could get a grip on. The same Latin root gave us 'ability', 'enable', 'habit', and the suffix '-able', which English borrowed both inside complete words like 'capable' and as a productive ending for making new adjectives from English verbs (washable, readable).