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compatibility

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compatibility

  • /kəmˌpætəˈbɪlɪti/ UK
  • /kəmˌpætəˈbɪləti/ Australia, Canada, US
  • [kəmˌpæɾəˈbɪləɾi] Australia, Canada, US

Rhymes with -ɪlɪti

Where it comes from

Borrowed from New Latin compatibilitās. By surface analysis, compatible + -ity.

noun compatibilities

  1. countable, uncountable The state of being compatible; in which two or more things are able to exist or work together in combination without problems or conflict. One huge self-inflicted wound the industry is now suffering from is the lack of coupling compatibility. Up to the 1980s virtually everything had compatible drawgear on a given route, so there was every chance of pushing a failed train out of the way. Since privatisation, compatibility has been lost
  2. countable, uncountable the capability of two or more items or components of equipment or material to exist or function in the same system or environment without mutual interference.
  3. countable, uncountable the ability to execute a given program on different types of computers without modification of the program or the computers. See backward compatibility and forward compatibility.
  4. countable, uncountable the capability that allows the substitution of one subsystem (storage facility), or of one functional unit (e.g., hardware, software), for the originally designated system or functional unit in a relatively transparent manner, without loss of information and without the introduction of errors.
  5. countable, uncountable the continuity or good fit of material or members or components while being deformed.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: rapport, convergence, coherence, proportionality, combination, consistency, comparability, congruence, harmony, uniformity, accordance, mating, accord, conformity, conformance, alignment

Translations

Every language

noun capability to exist without mutual interference

Españolcompatibilidad
한국어호환성 hohwanseong
日本語親和性 shinwasei, 互換性 gokansei
中文兼容性 jiānróngxìng
हिन्दीअनुकूलता anukūltā
Portuguêscompatibilidade
Françaiscompatibilité
DeutschVereinbarkeit, Kompatibilität
Italianocompatibilità
Românăcompatibilitate
Русскийсовмести́мость sovmestímostʹ
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MLA

"compatibility." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/compatibility. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

compatibility. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/compatibility

Chicago

"compatibility." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/compatibility.

BibTeX
@misc{compatibility_2026,
  title = {compatibility},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/compatibility},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}