inability
/ˌɪnəˈbɪləti/noun
उच्चारण इनबिलटी
असमर्थता
Core word
- 1
[U, sing.]
the fact of not being able to do something
असमर्थता
- inability to pay
- Her inability to swim kept her off the boat.
- His inability to speak English did not stop him from trying.
+ 3 more examples
- The report blamed the officials' inability to act quickly.
- Her inability to sleep worried her mother.
- Many students' inability to manage time is a serious problem.
Synonyms incapacity incapability powerlessness inadequacy
Opposite ability
§Structures (grammar patterns) 5
inability to + verb
Inability is followed by a to-infinitive, not by 'of' or '-ing': inability to pay, inability to concentrate.
'Inability' के बाद to-infinitive आता है, 'of' या '-ing' नहीं: inability to pay।
- His inability to speak English fluently cost him the job.
- The inability to concentrate is common before exams.
inability (uncountable noun)
It is usually uncountable and has no plural: 'her inability', not 'her inabilities'.
यह प्रायः uncountable है और इसका plural नहीं होता: 'her inability'।
- Inability to sleep can harm your health.
inability vs disability vs incapacity
Inability is the general fact of not being able; disability is a long-term physical or mental condition; incapacity is a formal word, often legal.
Inability सामान्य रूप से न कर सकने की स्थिति है; disability दीर्घकालिक शारीरिक या मानसिक स्थिति; incapacity औपचारिक, प्रायः कानूनी शब्द।
- The inability to climb stairs was caused by a leg injury, not a disability.
be unable to vs inability
Verb phrase 'be unable to' (He is unable to attend) is the usual spoken form; inability is the noun used in formal writing.
'Be unable to' बोलचाल का रूप है; 'inability' औपचारिक लेखन का noun है।
- He is unable to attend because of his inability to travel.
inability + due to / owing to + cause
To show why someone cannot do something, add a cause: his inability to travel due to illness.
कोई कार्य क्यों नहीं कर पा रहा है यह बताने के लिए कारण जोड़ें: his inability to travel due to illness।
- Her inability to attend, due to a family emergency, was accepted.
+Collocations 5
adjective + inability
sheerapparentcompletegrowingpartialtotal
- His sheer inability to listen irritated the teacher.
verb + inability
admitshowexplaincauseovercomereflect
- She admitted her inability to answer the question.
inability + to
payreadwalkdecidecopeattend
- The farmer's inability to repay the loan worried the bank.
noun + inability
a sign ofa result ofreason forcause offear of
- His silence was a sign of his inability to reply.
inability + to + verb (common)
to copeto affordto readto communicateto concentrate
- His inability to communicate in English held him back.
“More examples 6
- The inability to pay the fee made him miss the exam.
फीस न चुका पाने के कारण वह परीक्षा से चूक गया।
- Radhika's inability to say no often leaves her overworked.
राधिका के 'ना' न कह पाने से अक्सर उस पर काम का बोझ बढ़ जाता है।
- Many students struggle with their inability to manage time.
कई विद्यार्थी समय का प्रबंधन न कर पाने से जूझते हैं।
- The minister admitted the government's inability to control prices.
मंत्री ने कीमतों को नियंत्रित न कर पाने की सरकार की असमर्थता स्वीकार की।
- Her inability to attend the meeting was due to a train delay.
उसका बैठक में न पहुँच पाना ट्रेन की देरी के कारण था।
- The inability of the old computer to run new software forced the school to upgrade.
पुराना कंप्यूटर नया software न चला पाने के कारण विद्यालय को उसे बदलना पड़ा।
!Common mistakes 1
✗ His inability of speaking made him shy.
✓ His inability to speak made him shy.
Inability takes a to-infinitive.
'Inability' के बाद to-infinitive आता है।
≈Synonyms and antonyms
§Grammar and usage
Prefix trap: the noun is inability (not 'unability'), though the adjective is unable.
Prefix trap: noun inability है ('unability' नहीं), यद्यपि adjective unable है।