inability

«inability» in Mova's school dictionary: Not being able to do something; a lack of skill, power or… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

noun (inability, usually uncountable)

meaning for a pupil

Not being able to do something; a lack of skill, power or means. tree →

sense in the lessons

In formal writing and exams: «his inability to swim», «an inability to pay». In stories and health it describes a problem a person has. Phrase: an inability to + verb.

examples

• His inability to swim kept him out of the boat. tree →
• The baby's inability to talk made her cry. tree →
• Her inability to sleep made her tired. tree →
• The shop closed because of its inability to pay the rent. tree →
• An inability to see colours is called colour blindness. tree →
• His inability to say sorry made things worse. tree →
• The Fox on her return, discovered what had happened, but was less grieved for the death of her young than for her inability to avenge them. tree →

note

Followed by «to + verb». Not used with «at». Opposite: ability. Do not confuse with «disability», which means a long-term condition affecting the body or mind.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «inability» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.