UNABLE | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

UNABLE | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary Meaning of unable in English unable adjective uk Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio / ʌnˈeɪ.b ə l / us Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio / ʌnˈeɪ.b ə l / be unable to do something Add to word list Add to word list B1 to not be able to do something: We were unable to contact him at the time . We were unable to get funding and therefore had to abandon the project . She's been unable to play since January because of a torn calf muscle . It's a tragedy that so many young people are unable to find jobs . We regret that at the present time we are unable to supply the goods you ordered . Experts seem unable to agree whether the drug is safe or not. Inability and awkwardness accident-prone adorkable all thumbs idiom amateurish amateurishly fumblingly functional illiteracy gauche gauchely gawkily inexpert inexpertly jack-of-all-trades jack-of-all-trades, master of none idiom klutzy uncoordinated uneducable unenterprising unequal ungainly See more results » (Definition of unable from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press) unable | American Dictionary unable adjective [ not gradable ] us Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio / ʌnˈeɪ·bəl / Add to word list Add to word list not able : I was unable to find a pay phone . (Definition of unable from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press) Examples of unable unable These patients remained unable to follow simple commands or communicate reliably. From the Cambridge English Corpus The functional test is only applied to those who are unable to make a given decision because they are suffering from a mental disability. From the Cambridge English Corpus We are unable to assess these patterns in this study. From the Cambridge English Corpus As local courts are costly and unable to cope with the number of cases, village meetings to arbitrate in land matters have become more popular. From the Cambridge English Corpus Chiefs were soon even unable to maintain local agricultural rituals. From the Cambridge English Corpus Pretenders to power were unable to call upon the idioms of class, ethnicity or even religion to rouse popular movements in their support. From the Cambridge English Corpus The implication of this is that decision-makers are simply unable to form realistic expectations about the consequences of their actions. From the Cambridge English Corpus Nevertheless, these standards will impose significant new costs on all providers, and it is expected that many small providers will be unable to meet them. From the Cambridge English Corpus We were unable to get archived serum samples on two subjects. From the Cambridge English Corpus Hence, they are unable to increase the production of goods via the increase in general efficiency of the production process. From the Cambridge English Corpus This was particularly difficult where fathers were unavailable or unable to help, and where children attended free early education in a school setting. From the Cambridge English Corpus Eligibility was limited to 'those who because of physical or mental limitations are unable to act in their own behalf'. From the Cambridge English Corpus She exhibited a striking deficit in "motor control," in that she was unable to reach to a target after passive movement of her arm. From the Cambridge English Corpus Some nurses expressed enthusiasm, yet were unable to articulate clearly what integration meant or represented. From the Cambridge English Corpus A year after his trials, he was still feeling mentally and physically exhausted, sick at heart and unable to apply himself to his publishing projects. From the Cambridge English Corpus See all examples of unable These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors. What is the pronunciation of unable ? Translations of unable in Spanish incapaz [masculine-feminine, singular]… See more in Portuguese incapaz, impossibilitado/-da… See more in Japanese in Turkish in French in Dutch in Danish in Czech in Indonesian in Thai in Vietnamese in Swedish in Polish in Malay in German in Norwegian in Ukrainian in Italian できない… See more gücü yetmeyen, imkânı olmayan… See more incapable, incapable de… See more niet in staat… See more ude af stand til… See more neschopný… See more tidak bisa… See more ซึ่งไม่สามารถ… See more không thể, không có khả năng… See more oförmögen, ur stånd… See more niezdolny… See more tdk dapat… See more außerstande… See more ute av stand (til), ute av stand til… See more нездатний, неспроможний… See more incapace… See more Need a translator? Get a quick, free translation! Translator tool Browse una corda unabashed unabashedly unabated unable unabridged unabsorbed unabsorbent unacademic Word of the Day bae UK Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio /beɪ/ US Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio /beɪ/ someone you love; a boyfriend or girlfriend About this Blog Champing at the bit (Horse-related idioms) May 06, 2026 Read More New Words superworker May 04, 2026 More new words has been added to list To top AI Assistant Contents English American Examples Translations AI Assistant Cambridge Dictionary +Plus My profile +Plus help Log out English (UK) Change English (UK) English (US) Español Português 中文 (简体) 正體中文 (繁體) Dansk Deutsch Français Italiano Nederlands Norsk Polski Русский Türkçe Tiếng Việt Svenska Українська 日本語 한국어 ગુજરાતી தமிழ் తెలుగు বাঙ্গালি मराठी हिंदी Follow us Choose a dictionary Recent and Recommended Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English English Learner’s Dictionary Essential British English Essential American English Grammar and thesaurus Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English Grammar Thesaurus Pronunciation British and American pronunciations with audio English Pronunciation Translation Click on the arrows to change the translation direction. Bilingual Dictionaries English–Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Simplified)–English English–Chinese (Traditional) Chinese (Traditional)–English English–Danish Danish–English English–Dutch Dutch–English English–French French–English English–German German–English English–Indonesian Indonesian–English English–Italian Italian–English English–Japanese Japanese–English English–Norwegian Norwegian–English English–Polish Polish–English English–Portuguese Portuguese–English English–Spanish Spanish–English English–Swedish Swedish–English Semi-bilingual Dictionaries English–Arabic English–Bengali English–Catalan English–Czech English–Gujarati English–Hindi English–Korean English–Malay English–Marathi English–Russian English–Tamil English–Telugu English–Thai English–Turkish English–Ukrainian English–Urdu English–Vietnamese Dictionary +Plus Word Lists Contents English Adjective be unable to do something American Adjective Examples Translations Grammar All translations My word lists To add unable to a word list please sign up or log in. Sign up or Log in My word lists Add unable to one of your lists below, or create a new one. More Go to your word lists Tell us about this example sentence: The word in the example sentence does not match the entry word. The sentence contains offensive content. Cancel Submit The word in the example sentence does not match the entry word. The sentence contains offensive content. Cancel Submit