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unable

UK/ʌnˈeɪbl̩/US/ʌnˈeɪbl̩/
adjectiveB1Very common — you will meet it every day · #2,443 of 15,258leans written

Unable means not having the power or skill to do something. Unable to attend, unable to speak, we were unable to help.

It always takes to and a verb — unable to do — and it cannot stand alone the way able can. It is softer and more formal than can't, which is why refusals use it. Note the un- prefix, and that disabled is a different word about a different thing.

Definitions of unable

  1. 1adjectiveunableNot having the power or skill to do something.B1

    “After the accident, he was unable to walk for several months.”

unable is a lack of power.

Where it comes from

Un-, meaning not, plus able, from Latin habilis, easy to handle, from habere, to have.

  1. Middle English

    unable

  2. English, today

    unable

From Middle English unable, unabel, unhable, unhabil, equivalent to un + able.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

unable in the wild

  • A full knockout is considered any legal strike or combination thereof that renders an opponent unable to continue fighting.

    Knockout

  • COVID-19) or is unable to attend to their usual duties.

    Caretaker manager

  • The fact that Election Day falls on a Tuesday has become controversial in recent decades, as many people might be unable to vote because they have to work.

    Election Day (United States)

  • The date of his reign suggests that he rebelled against Vologases IV but was unable to maintain himself against Vologases V.

    Osroes II

  • Often, the fourth official will replace the referee or one of the assistant referees if they are unable to continue.

    Assistant referee (association football)

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.