ability

ability (ə-bĭlʹĭ-tē) noun

plural abilities

[Middle English abilite, from Old French habilite, from Latin habilitās, from habilis, handy. See able.]

Synonyms: ability, capacity, faculty, talent, skill, competence, aptitude. These nouns denote the qualities in a person that permit or facilitate achievement or accomplishment. Ability is the power, mental or physical, to do something: "To make a fortune some assistance from fate is essential. Ability alone is insufficient" (Ihara Saikaku). Capacity refers to an innate potential for growth, development, or accomplishment: "Not by age but by capacity is wisdom acquired" (Plautus). Faculty denotes an inherent power or ability: An unerring faculty for detecting hypocrisy is one of her most useful attributes. Talent emphasizes inborn ability, especially in the arts: "There is no substitute for talent. Industry and all the virtues are of no avail" (Aldous Huxley). Skill stresses ability that is acquired or developed through experience: "The intellect, character and skill possessed by any man are the product of certain original tendencies and the training which they have received" (Edward L. Thorndike). Competence suggests the ability to do something satisfactorily but not necessarily outstandingly well: The concerto was performed by a violinist of unquestioned competence but limited imagination. Aptitude implies inherent capacity for learning, understanding, or performing: Even as a child he showed an unusual aptitude for mathematics.