Adaptability

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ədæptəˈbɪlɪti/

Definitions

1. The quality of being able to adjust to new conditions or environments successfully
2. The trait involving effective alteration to meet new challenges or conditions demonstrates flexibility and an ability to adjust to varying circumstances and environments
3. The capacity to modify one’s approach or behavior in response to changing situations reflects a significant level of flexibility and resourcefulness

Etymology: Adaptability is built from two English pieces that each came from Latin. The core is "adapt," borrowed into English from Latin "adaptāre," which combines "ad-" ("to") with "aptāre" ("to fit"), itself from "aptus" ("fitted, suitable"). To adapt, then, is literally to make something fit something else. The ending "-ability" was added on top, drawn from Latin "-abilitas" by way of Old French and Middle French, where "-able" and "-ité" had long been combined into a single suffix meaning "the quality of being able to be." The word can also be seen as a fusion of two routes. Speakers could form it from "adaptable" plus "-ity," or from "adapt" plus "-ability," and the source treats both as possible paths. Either way, the result is a noun for a quality, the capacity to be made to fit new conditions.

Synonyms: flexibility, adjustability, versatility, malleability, resilience

Antonyms: rigidity, inflexibility, stubbornness, immutability, unadaptability