Word family noun ability ≠ inability disability adjective able ≠ unable disabled verb enable ≠ disable adverb ably
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishinabilityin‧a‧bil‧i‧ty /ˌɪnəˈbɪləti/ ●●○ noun [singular, uncountable] the fact of being unable to do somethinginability to do something Alcoholism can result in an inability to cope. the government’s inability to enforce the ceasefireExamples from the Corpus
inability• It revealed an inability to compromise which remained unaltered after the fall of the Government in August.• Many have blamed what they termed an inability to win on an inability to hit more than one shape of shot.• Gary's inability to use his legs means he's had to modify the gliders so he can fly them.• It was just a strange feeling and of course the inability to contact anyone in the Shill's room.• More wounding than the question is the inability to give a coherent answer.• Everything points to a victory for the conservatives, except their inability to make the most of their advantages.• A big reason why retailers file for bankruptcy is their inability to get credit.• In general, the courts have not required hearings when the charges against teachers have related to their inability to perform.inability to do something• Her actions show an inability to distinguish between fantasy and reality.• Many have blamed what they termed an inability to win on an inability to hit more than one shape of shot.• Such patience was nothing less than satanic, especially in light of my general inability to maintain stillness.• He even blamed his parents for his inability to make friends.• I might never have identified his inability to read if it had not been for an entirely social happenstance.• Again, signer 2 differed notably from the others in his inability to use two lexical items simultaneously.• I do believe it wasn't just inability to cope with a terrible handicap.• Voters are becoming frustrated at the inability of the administration to do anything about the debt crisis.• More wounding than the question is the inability to give a coherent answer.• A big reason why retailers file for bankruptcy is their inability to get credit.• This was happening more and more, this inability to cope, this giving in to raw emotion whenever he was alone. 