el ‧ i ‧ gi ‧ ble /ˈelɪdʒəb ə l, ˈelɪdʒɪb ə l/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: French ; Origin: Late Latin eligibilis , from Latin eligere ; ⇨ ↑ elect 1 ]
1 . someone who is eligible for something is able or allowed to do it, for example because they are the right age
eligible for
Students on a part-time course are not eligible for a loan.
eligible to do something
Over 500,000 18-year-olds will become eligible to vote this year.
2 . [only before noun] an eligible man or woman would be good to marry because they are rich, attractive, and not married:
Stephen was regarded as an eligible bachelor.
—eligibility /ˌelɪdʒəˈbɪləti, ˌelɪdʒɪˈbɪləti/ noun [uncountable]