eligible

B2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈɛl.ə.d͡ʒə.bəl/ UK /ˈɛl.ɪ.d͡ʒɪ.bəl/ See IPA manual

Freq #12112

Meanings

1

adj
Having the right to do or receive something because you meet the necessary conditions.

You are eligible to vote once you turn eighteen.
2

adj
Seen as a good and desirable choice for marriage.

He was considered one of the most eligible bachelors in town.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

choosable licensed qualified

Opposites

ineligible unqualified

Word family

Forms eligibles

Derived forms eligiblenessnoneligiblereeligiblesupereligibleultraeligibleuneligible

Related forms elect elegant eligibilityeligiblyelite illegible

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

eligible bachelor
an unmarried man regarded as a desirable or suitable marriage partner

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Eligible entered English in the late Middle Ages and ultimately derives from Latin eligere “to choose or select.” Its history therefore connects it with elect, elegant, and elite.

Etymology

From Middle French eligible, from Latin eligibilis, from ēligō (“select, choose”).

*leǵ- Proto-Indo-European eligible Middle French eligibilis Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# eligible

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈɛl.ə.d͡ʒə.bəl/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈɛl.ɪ.d͡ʒɪ.bəl/
**Frequency rank:** 12112

## Meanings
1. Having the right to do or receive something because you meet the necessary conditions.
2. Seen as a good and desirable choice for marriage.

## Examples
- You are eligible to vote once you turn eighteen.
- He was considered one of the most eligible bachelors in town.

## Synonyms
- choosable
- licensed
- qualified

## Antonyms
- ineligible
- unqualified

## Derived Forms
- eligibleness
- noneligible
- reeligible
- supereligible
- ultraeligible
- uneligible

## Related Forms
- elect
- elegant
- eligibility
- eligibly
- elite
- illegible

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *leǵ-
- Root: eligible
- Root: eligibilis

## Etymology
From Middle French eligible, from Latin eligibilis, from ēligō (“select, choose”).

## AI Etymology
Eligible comes from Middle French eligible, from Latin eligibilis, from ēligō (“select, choose”). In current use, the main senses are “Having the right to do or receive something because you meet the necessary conditions” and “Seen as a good and desirable choice for marriage”. Its deeper ancestry includes Proto-Indo-European *leǵ-.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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