portability

portability — noun

1. how easy something is to carry around because it is small and not heavy

1.nounC1
Definition

how easy something is to carry around because it is small and not heavy

Example

The laptop's portability let Nina finish reports on the train each morning.

the portability of [device]

Parents chose the stroller for its portability and quick folding frame.

portability for travel products

Common collocations
  • laptop portability
  • good portability
  • portability for travel
  • design for portability
Synonyms
  • transportability

    is more formal and often used in technical writing

  • compactness

    focuses on taking little space, not the full ease of carrying

  • lightness

    refers only to weight, so a light object is not always portable

Antonyms
  • bulkiness

    focuses on large size that makes carrying awkward

  • heaviness

    focuses on weight rather than overall design

Grammar Patterns

the portability of [device/object]

portability for travel

design for portability

Usage Note

Usually used for products such as laptops, speakers, bags, and travel equipment. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense is about a physical object being easy to carry, not about moving data or benefits to a new system or job.

Common Mistakes

This speaker has good portable for travel.
This speaker has good portability for travel.
portable is the adjective; portability is the noun.
The suitcase has many portabilities.
The suitcase offers good portability.
portability is normally uncountable.

2. how easily benefits, data, or an account can move with you to a new job or a new

2.nounC1
Definition

how easily benefits, data, or an account can move with you to a new job or a new system

Example

The law improved portability of pension benefits when workers changed jobs.

portability of pension benefits

Customers asked for data portability before moving photos to a new cloud service.

data portability

Common collocations
  • data portability
  • portability of benefits
  • portability between systems
  • pension portability
Synonyms
  • transferability

    is the closest synonym and sounds slightly more formal

  • mobility

    can be used for workers or benefits moving between jobs, but it is broader

  • carry-over

    is more informal and often refers to value or credit kept from an earlier stage

Antonyms
  • lock-in

    in technology or business, this means being stuck with one provider or system

  • non-transferability

    means something cannot be moved or kept when conditions change

Grammar Patterns

data portability

portability of benefits

portability between systems

Usage Note

Often appears with nouns such as data, benefits, pension, account, and system, especially in technology, finance, or policy writing. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is about keeping something usable when you change jobs or platforms, not about an object's weight or size.

Common Mistakes

The new service has good compatibility, so I can move my old files to it.
The new service has good portability, so I can move my old files to it.
compatibility means systems work together; portability means data or benefits can move across.
My pension portability moved with me automatically.
My pension benefits moved with me because the plan allowed portability.
portability names the feature, not the action itself.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For sense 1, portability focuses on how convenient a thing is to take with you from place to place. Mobility is broader and usually describes the ability of a person, machine, or system to move, not the design of an object you carry. Transportability is closer in meaning, but it sounds more formal and often appears in technical or shipping contexts. Compactness only tells you that something takes little space, while lightness only tells you about weight. A product can be compact but still too heavy, or light but too large. Use portability when size, weight, and travel-friendly design work together. A folding speaker may have good portability, while a robot may have excellent mobility.

portability ↗mobility ↗transportabilitycompactnesslightness

Common collocations

Phrases

  • good portability
  • improve portability
  • lack portability
  • the portability of [something]

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Portability was formed in English from portable and the ending -ity. Portable goes back through French to Latin portare, meaning 'to carry'. The noun portability names the quality of being easy to carry, and later it was also used for things such as benefits or data that can move from one place or system to another.