Word · Frequency #5324
inability
无能；无力；没有能力
lack of ability to do something
- 1.
Lack of the ability to do something; incapability.
缺乏做某事的能力；无能
- 2.
lack of ability (especially mental ability) to do something
缺乏做某事的能力(尤其是心智能力)
- 3.
Lack of the option to do something; powerlessness.
缺乏做某事的选择；无力
- 4.
lacking the power to perform
缺乏执行的能力
缺乏做某事的能力；无能；缺乏做某事的能力(尤其是心智能力)；缺乏做某事的选择；无力；缺乏执行的能力；无能
In use
His inability to speak French made the trip difficult.
She was frustrated by her inability to solve the puzzle.
The team's inability to score cost them the game.
inability to do sth
最常用结构，表示“无法做某事”。
His inability to solve the problem frustrated him.
他无法解决这个问题，感到很沮丧。
inability in sth
较少用，表示在某方面无能。
She showed an inability in mathematics.
她在数学方面表现出无能。
Common mistakes
He is inability to attend the meeting.He is unable to attend the meeting.
Connections
Collocations
- inability to do something
- 做某事无能
- His inability to complete the project on time disappointed everyone.他无法按时完成项目，令所有人失望。
- frustrated by inability
- 因无能而沮丧
- She felt frustrated by her inability to solve the math problem.她因无法解决这道数学题而感到沮丧。
- chronic inability
- 长期无能
- Chronic inability to manage finances led to bankruptcy.长期无力管理财务导致了破产。
- complete inability
- 完全无能
- The machine's complete inability to function indicated a serious defect.机器完全无法运转，表明存在严重缺陷。
- apparent inability
- 明显的无能
- Despite his apparent inability to understand, he kept trying.尽管他明显无法理解，他仍在不断尝试。
Learner notes
Memory Tip
把 inability 拆成 in（不）+ ability（能力），想象‘没有能力’做某事，记住就是‘无能’。
Context & Register
中性; 常用于正式或书面语境，如学术或工作评估，表示缺乏（尤指心理上的）能力或无法完成某事。
Pronunciation & Spelling
All these words rhyme with 'inability' as they share the stressed vowel /ɪ/ and subsequent sounds /lɪti/. Note that they all end with the suffix '-ity' though the immediate preceding part is '-bil-'.
High-value vocabulary
该词属于 Oxford 核心词汇，值得优先掌握常见搭配和句型。
Usage priority
Collins 词频等级为 2，建议结合例句记忆，而不是只背中文释义。
Learn the forms together
页面下方列出了常见词形变化。学习时注意它们在句子中的语法位置。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.