UNABLE


Meaning of UNABLE in English

un ‧ a ‧ ble W2 /ʌnˈeɪb ə l/ BrE AmE adjective [not before noun]

[ Word Family: noun : ↑ ability ≠ ↑ inability , ↑ disability ; adjective : ↑ able ≠ ↑ unable , ↑ disabled ; verb : ↑ enable ≠ ↑ disable ; adverb : ↑ ably ]

not able to do something ⇨ inability

unable to do something

Lucy was unable to find out what had happened.

Unable to sleep, I got up and made myself a drink.

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In everyday English, people usually say that they can't/couldn't do something rather than are/were unable to do something :

She couldn't find out what had happened.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.