Eligible

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈelɪdÊ’É™bl/

Origin

From Middle French eligible, from Latin eligibilis, from ēligō ("select, choose")

Full definition of eligible

Adjective

1. suitable; meeting the conditions; worthy of being chosen

Usage notes

Used in the phrase eligible bachelor to mean “desirable male”, the corresponding term for a woman is nubile.

Derived terms

• eligibility
• eligibly

Synonyms

• qualified

Antonyms

• ineligible
• unqualified

Noun

1. One who is eligible.
• 2007, October 3, Diane Ravitch, Get Congress Out of the Classroom, Federal agencies report that only about 1 percent of eligible students take advantage of switching schools and fewer than 20 percent of eligibles receive extra tutoring.