Adaptableness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The characteristic of being capable of adjusting to new conditions or environments easily
2. A condition of flexibility that allows for smooth changes or modifications when needed
3. The trait showing readiness to modify behavior or structure to suit different circumstances

Etymology: "Adaptableness" is a plain English compound: the adjective "adaptable" with the suffix "-ness" attached to turn a quality into a noun. The adjective itself is built from "adapt" plus "-able," a suffix that came into English through Middle English and Old French from Latin "-abilis," meaning "able to be." "Adapt" comes from Latin "adaptare," formed from "ad-" ("to") and "aptare" ("to fit"), which in turn comes from "aptus," meaning "fitted" or "suitable." So at its root the word describes something that can be fitted to something else. The "-ness" suffix is the older, native part of the word. It descends from Old English "-nes," a suffix used to form abstract nouns from adjectives, and it has been productive in English for a very long time. Adding it to "adaptable" yields the sense "the quality of being able to be adjusted," which is what the word means here. Because "adaptable" already carries the idea of adjustment, "adaptableness" simply names that quality as a thing in itself.

Synonyms: flexibility, versatility, adjustability, pliability, resilience

Antonyms: rigidity, inflexibility, stubbornness, unyieldingness, resistance