affordance

noun

af·​for·​dance ə-ˈfȯr-dᵊn(t)s 

plural affordances

: the quality or property of an object that defines its possible uses or makes clear how it can or should be used

We sit or stand on a chair because those affordances are fairly obvious.

—Scott Lafee

An affordance is a resource or support that the environment offers an animal; the animal in turn must possess the capabilities to perceive it and to use it.

—Eleanor J. Gibson et al.

Examples of affordance in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Practically, then, the translator reads with an eye to understanding the affordances offered by a text—to re-creating its potentialities, rather than merely offering a lexical equivalent. —Max Norman, The New Yorker, 7 Dec. 2024

Although few crossovers are as direct as Theremin’s, the convergence of art and technology is a common theme, as is the attention to affordances – the ability to notice how techniques might be applied for alternative purposes – as much as the talent for reconnaissance. —Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024

Those are exactly the affordances that have accrued to the early platform companies that have built out their social media networks, built out their data centers. —Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 28 Aug. 2024

Across industries, the affordances and constraints of collaboration tools, whether physical spaces or digital platforms, shape how people work together. —Kyle J. Russell, USA TODAY, 3 July 2024

Successful affordance in design allows users to intuitively understand how to interact with a system or product without needing explicit instructions. —Hamilton Mann, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024

Mastodon—an experience that replicates some of Twitter’s affordances, but not all—remains frustrating and confusing for new users. —Katherine Alejandra Cross, WIRED, 13 July 2023

The affordances of sticks, pedals and things to hit with them enable our sound. —Peter Rubin, Longreads, 2 Mar. 2023

For those productivity centric tasks, pairing it with the Magic Keyboard gave us the affordance of classic interfaces to work with — namely a keyboard and trackpad. —Jacob Krol, CNN Underscored, 21 Oct. 2020

Word History

Etymology

afford + -ance

Note: As a term in the study of cognition introduced by the American psychologist James J. Gibson (1904-79) in The Senses Considered as Perceptual Systems (Boston, 1966) and later essays.

First Known Use

1966, in the meaning defined above