usability

noun

us·​abil·​i·​ty ˌyü-zə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

: the quality or state of being usable : ease of use

Each feature is designed to enhance reliability, efficiency, and usability, ensuring dependable performance across a variety of scenarios.

—Lauren Carpenter

One of the other great problems of computer software is preoccupation with bells and whistles, rather than usability. Even software that began as easily usable can evolve over time into something so burdened with complicated (and trivial) features that it is a challenge to figure out how to do the simplest thing.

—Thomas Sowell

Examples of usability in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Toyota didn’t sell out the 4Runner’s legacy; instead, the company has reinforced its off-road DNA while bringing powertrain, usability, and capability into the 21st century. —New Atlas, 22 Nov. 2025

Still targeted to run on inexpensive processors and other components, laptops labeled Plus guarantee a baseline level of performance, speed and usability, with many of them seriously competitive compared to much more expensive Windows machines. —PC Magazine, 21 Nov. 2025

And incorporating usability testing with non-technical subjects revealed momentary human behaviors, like eye and scan patterns, that would buy operators critical split seconds when making mission-critical decisions. —Laura Crabtree, Fortune, 12 Nov. 2025

But some have applauded its design and usability. —Greta Cross, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for usability

• affability
• audibility
• bistability
• capability
• changeability
• contractility
• credibility
• culpability
• disability
• disutility
• durability
• fallibility