Examples of unable in a Sentence
I was unable to afford the trip.
He was unable to play tennis after the injury.
Recent Examples on the Web
Officials have been unable to agree on how to design the insurance scheme because of concerns about sharing risk across countries of different credit quality and banking systems; Germany, among other countries, has been reluctant to assume the risks of other countries’ potentially bad loans.
—
Douglas Rediker, Foreign Affairs, 17 Dec. 2025
Still, BofA notes that small businesses are generally both planning to increase employment and unable to fill job openings at higher rates than the average of the last two decades.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 17 Dec. 2025
The authors were therefore unable to determine which species of bee was nesting in the cave.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 17 Dec. 2025
The Star was unable to verify the name of the captain.
—David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unable
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Douglas Rediker, Foreign Affairs, 17 Dec. 2025
Still, BofA notes that small businesses are generally both planning to increase employment and unable to fill job openings at higher rates than the average of the last two decades.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 17 Dec. 2025
The authors were therefore unable to determine which species of bee was nesting in the cave.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 17 Dec. 2025
The Star was unable to verify the name of the captain.
—David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unable
Cite this Entry
“Unable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unable. Accessed 31 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unable
adjective
un·able
ˌən-ˈā-bəl 
ˈən-
: not able : incapable
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