disable

verb

(chiefly electronics, computing) To deactivate, to make inoperational (especially of a function of an electronic or mechanical device).

(transitive) To render unable; to take away an ability of, as by crippling.

(chiefly of a person) To impair the physical or mental abilities of; to cause a serious, permanent injury.

adjective

(obsolete) Lacking ability; unable.

Roots

disdis- · Latin · apart, not habilis-abil · Latin · able

Synonyms for disable

disenablev incapacitatev inactivatev invalidadj disarmv cripplev immobilizev devitalizev debilitatev

Synonyms & related words for disable

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of disable — including disenable, incapacitate, inactivate, invalid, disarm, cripple. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to disable

Explore words related to disable — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include deactivate, activate, disablement, deactivation, enable, reactivate, incapacitant, cripplingly. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for disable

Common synonyms for disable include disenable, incapacitate, inactivate, invalid, disarm, cripple, immobilize, devitalize — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does disable come from?

The word disable breaks down into 2 roots of Latin origin: dis-, from Latin dis (“apart, not”); and -abil, from Latin habilis (“able”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.