What is the difference between able and willing?
able | willing |
(obsolete, passive) Easy to use.
* 1710 , Thomas Betterton, The life of Mr. Thomas Betterton, the late eminent tragedian. :
(obsolete, passive) Suitable; competent.
* 2006 , Jon L. Wakelyn, America's Founding Charters: Primary Documents of Colonial and Revolutionary Era Governance, Volume 1 , Greenwood Publishing Group, pages 212:
(obsolete, dialectal, passive) Liable to.
Having the necessary powers or the needed resources to accomplish a task.
Free from constraints preventing completion of task; permitted to; not prevented from.
(obsolete, dialectal) Having the physical strength; robust; healthy.
(obsolete) Rich; well-to-do.
Gifted with skill, intelligence, knowledge, or competence.
(legal) Legally]] [[qualify, qualified or competent.
(nautical) Capable of performing all the requisite duties; as an able seaman.
(obsolete) To make ready.
(obsolete) To make capable; to enable.
(obsolete) To dress.
(obsolete) To give power to; to reinforce; to confirm.
(obsolete) To vouch for; to guarantee.
* vi
A word that is used in place of the letter "A" during communication.
Ready to do something that is not (can't be expected as) a matter of course.
*
, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=5
, passage=In the eyes of Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke the apotheosis of the Celebrity was complete. The people of Asquith were not only willing to attend the house-warming, but had been worked up to the pitch of eagerness. The Celebrity as a matter of course was master of ceremonies.}}
*{{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-07, author=David Simpson
, volume=188, issue=26, page=36, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly)
, title=
As adjectives the difference between able and willing
is that able is easy to use while willing is ready to do something that is not (can't be expected as) a matter of course.As verbs the difference between able and willing
is that able is to make ready while willing is present participle of lang=en.As nouns the difference between able and willing
is that able is a word that is used in place of the letter "A" during communication.Wpwilling is the execution of a will.able
English
Alternative forms
* (obsolete) hableEtymology 1
From (etyl), from .Adjective
(er)- As the hands are the most habil parts of the body...
- ...and for every able man servant that he or she shall carry or send armed and provided as aforesaid, ninety acres of land of like measure.
- I’ll see you as soon as I’m able .
- With that obstacle removed, I am now able to proceed with my plan.
- I’m only able to visit you when I have other work here.
- That cliff is able to be climbed.
- After the past week of forced marches, only half the men are fully able .
- He was born to an able family.
- The chairman was also an able sailor.
- He is able to practice law in six states.
Synonyms
* See alsoDerived terms
* ability * -able * able-bodied * able seaman * ableism * be able, be able to * capable * disable * disabled * disablism * disability * enableVerb
(abl)- None does offend, none....I’ll able ’em.
Derived terms
* abledEtymology 3
Noun
(-)Statistics
*References
Anagrams
* ----willing
English
Adjective
(en adjective)Fantasy of navigation, passage=Like most human activities, ballooning has sponsored heroes and hucksters and a good deal in between. For every dedicated scientist patiently recording atmospheric pressure and wind speed while shivering at high altitudes, there is a carnival barker with a bevy of pretty girls willing to dangle from a basket or parachute down to earth.}}