incapability

C2+ Topic:Law & Government

US /ɪnˌkeɪpəˈbɪləti/ UK /ɪnˌkeɪpəˈbɪləti/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
the state of being unable to do something; lack of ability

His incapability with numbers ruled out a career in finance.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the state of being unable... incapacity inability incompetence ineptitude powerlessness

Opposites

capability ability competence

Word family

Related forms incapable capable capability

Etymology

From in- ('not') + capability, from capable, from Late Latin capabilis ('able to hold'), from Latin capere ('to take, hold').

capabilis Late Latin capere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Law & Government Word Formation & Derivatives

# incapability

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** ɪnˌkeɪpəˈbɪləti
**IPA (UK):** ɪnˌkeɪpəˈbɪləti

## Meanings
1. the state of being unable to do something; lack of ability

## Examples
- His incapability with numbers ruled out a career in finance.

## Synonyms
- incapacity
- inability
- incompetence
- ineptitude
- powerlessness

## Antonyms
- capability
- ability
- competence

## Related Forms
- incapable
- capable
- capability

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: capabilis
- Root: capere

## Etymology
From in- ('not') + capability, from capable, from Late Latin capabilis ('able to hold'), from Latin capere ('to take, hold').

## AI Etymology
incapability comes from in- ('not') + capability, from capable, from Late Latin capabilis ('able to hold'), from Latin capere ('to take, hold'). Morphologically, the prefixed shape matters: the initial element belongs to the recorded formation and helps explain the modern form's surface analysis. In present English, the noun sense is "the state of being unable to do something; lack of ability", so the historical development ends in a clearly identifiable modern dictionary use. The same base also appears in related forms such as incapable, capable, and capability. Its semantic neighborhood includes incapacity, inability, incompetence, and ineptitude, which helps locate the modern sense without adding a separate etymological claim. The named historical forms include Late Latin capabilis and Latin capere.

## Topics
- Law & Government
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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incapability

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