Adjacent Words

Capable definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CAPABLE, a.
1. Able to hold or contain; able to receive; sufficiently capacious; often followed by of; as, the room is not capable of receiving, or capable of holding the company.
2. Endued with power competent to the object; as, a man is capable of judging, or he is not capable.
3. Possessing mental powers; intelligent; able to understand, or receive into the mind; having a capacious mind; as a capable judge; a capable instructor.
4. Susceptible; as, capable of pain or grief.
5. Qualified for; susceptible of; as, a thing is capable of long duration; or it is capable of being colored or altered.
6. Qualified for, in a moral sense; having legal power or capacity; as, a bastard is not capable of inheriting an estate.
7. Hollow.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: (usually followed by `of') having capacity or ability; "capable of winning"; "capable of hard work"; "capable of walking on two feet" [ant: incapable]
2: possibly accepting or permitting; "a passage capable of misinterpretation"; "open to interpretation"; "an issue open to question"; "the time is fixed by the director and players and therefore subject to much variation" [syn: capable, open, subject]
3: (followed by `of') having the temperament or inclination for; "no one believed her capable of murder" [ant: incapable]
4: having the requisite qualities for; "equal to the task"; "the work isn't up to the standard I require" [syn: adequate to, capable, equal to, up to]
5: have the skills and qualifications to do things well; "able teachers"; "a capable administrator"; "children as young as 14 can be extremely capable and dependable" [syn: able, capable]

Merriam Webster's

adjective Etymology: Middle French or Late Latin; Middle French capable, from Late Latin capabilis, irregular from Latin capere to take — more at heave Date: 1579 1. susceptible <a remark capable of being misunderstood> 2. obsolete comprehensive 3. having attributes (as physical or mental power) required for performance or accomplishment <is capable of intense concentration> 4. having traits conducive to or features permitting <this woman is capable of murder by violence — Robert Graves> <an outer coat of light color capable of reflecting solar heat — Current Biography> 5. having legal right to own, enjoy, or perform 6. having or showing general efficiency and ability <a capable lawyer> <a capable performance> • capableness noun • capably adverb

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 competent, able, gifted. 2 (foll. by of) a having the ability or fitness or necessary quality for. b susceptible or admitting of (explanation or improvement etc.). Derivatives: capably adv. Etymology: F f. LL capabilis f. L capere hold

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Capable Ca"pa*ble, a. [F. capable, LL. capabilis capacious, capable, fr. L. caper to take, contain. See Heave.] 1. Possessing ability, qualification, or susceptibility; having capacity; of sufficient size or strength; as, a room capable of holding a large number; a castle capable of resisting a long assault. Concious of joy and capable of pain. --Prior. 2. Possessing adequate power; qualified; able; fully competent; as, a capable instructor; a capable judge; a mind capable of nice investigations. More capable to discourse of battles than to give them. --Motley. 3. Possessing legal power or capacity; as, a man capable of making a contract, or a will. 4. Capacious; large; comprehensive. [Obs.] --Shak. Note: Capable is usually followed by of, sometimes by an infinitive. Syn: Able; competent; qualified; fitted; efficient; effective; skillful.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. If a person or thing is capable of doing something, they have the ability to do it. He appeared hardly capable of conducting a coherent conversation... The kitchen is capable of catering for several hundred people... ? incapable ADJ: v-link ADJ of -ing/n 2. Someone who is capable has the skill or qualities necessary to do a particular thing well, or is able to do most things well. She's a very capable speaker... Her husband was such a fine, capable man. = competent, able ADJ • capably Happily it was all dealt with very capably by the police and security people. = competently, ably ADV: ADV with v

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Susceptible, open (to), admitting. 2. Qualified, suited, fitted, adapted. 3. Able, competent, intelligent, clever, skilful, efficient, ingenious, sagacious, gifted, accomplished.

Moby Thesaurus

able, accomplished, adapted, adept, adequate, adjusted, apt, au fait, capable of, checked out, clever, competent, disposed to, effective, effectual, efficacious, efficient, equal to, expert, fit, fitted, fitted for, gifted, good, inclined to, journeyman, masterful, masterly, predisposed to, productive, proficient, proper, qualified, skilled, suited, talented, up to, up to snuff, well-fitted, well-qualified, well-suited, wicked, worthy