effability

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noun

The quality or state of being effable.

“In linguistics, the Principle of Effability asserts that every natural language can express any human thought that is expressible at all in [any] natural language.”

Similar
describabilityexpressibilityspeakabilityspeakableness
Opposite
ineffabilityineffablenessindescribabilityinexpressibilityunspeakability
OriginNew Latin effābilitās →
Scrabble 21
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Meanings

nouneffability (uncountable)
  1. uncountableThe quality or state of being effable.

    In linguistics, the Principle of Effability asserts that every natural language can express any human thought that is expressible at all in [any] natural language.

    Synonyms: describability, expressibility, speakability, speakableness · Antonyms: ineffability, ineffableness, indescribability, inexpressibility, unspeakability, unspeakableness

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe quality or state of being effable.

Similar
describabilityexpressibilityspeakabilityspeakableness
Opposite
ineffabilityineffablenessindescribabilityinexpressibilityunspeakabilityunspeakableness

Origin

  1. New Latineffābilitās
  2. Englisheffability

Borrowed from New Latin effābilitās.

More words from New Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

effability. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/effability

MLA

“effability.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/effability. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “effability,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/effability.

Source: effability on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.