Antonyms for capable


Grammar : Adj
Spell : key-puh-buhl
Phonetic Transcription : ˈkeɪ pə bəl


Definition of capable

Origin :
  • 1560s, from Middle French capable or directly from Late Latin capabilis "receptive; able to grasp or hold," used by theologians, from Latin capax "able to hold much, broad, wide, roomy;" also "receptive, fit for;" adjectival form of capere "to grasp, lay hold, take, catch; undertake; take in, hold; be large enough for; comprehend," from PIE *kap- "to grasp" (cf. Sanskrit kapati "two handfuls;" Greek kaptein "to swallow, gulp down;" Lettish kampiu "seize;" Old Irish cacht "servant-girl," literally "captive;" Welsh caeth "captive, slave;" Gothic haban "have, hold;" Old English hæft "handle," habban "to have, hold," Modern English have). Related: Capably.
  • adj able to perform
Example sentences :
  • But you shall see how I'll help you with your work; I was capable of it all the time.
  • Extract from : « The Spenders » by Harry Leon Wilson
  • It passed, and the next moment she was on her feet again, capable of action.
  • Extract from : « Malbone » by Thomas Wentworth Higginson
  • If I am capable of judging, our tempers and inclinations are vastly different.
  • Extract from : « Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9) » by Samuel Richardson
  • She is so capable and the girls not only like her but respect her as well.
  • Extract from : « Grace Harlowe's Return to Overton Campus » by Jessie Graham Flower
  • The Duke wanted a capable candidate to help him regain his ascendency.
  • Extract from : « The Grand Old Man » by Richard B. Cook
  • A modern example of the effects it is capable of is recorded by Tartini.
  • Extract from : « Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327 » by Various
  • And to-day we have three novelists of the third class, good, capable craftsmen.
  • Extract from : « Ballads of a Bohemian » by Robert W. Service
  • The one was capable of genuine sympathy; the other not yet of any.
  • Extract from : « Weighed and Wanting » by George MacDonald
  • I should never have thought you capable of showing such a lack of principle.
  • Extract from : « Weighed and Wanting » by George MacDonald
  • Yet, it was capable of meaning much concerning the nature of the lad.
  • Extract from : « Within the Law » by Marvin Dana

Synonyms for capable

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019