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Glite Dictionary
⚡ Ability to act 🎭 Fit for acting
actability

actability

8.1
How easy it is for actors to perform a script or role
  • noun
  • /ˈæktəˌbɪlɪti/
  • Jargon
translation icon : actuabilidad
  • If he hadn't encountered it earlier, here Lincoln came smack up against the issue—all important for theater professionals—of managing Shakespeare's text on the basis of actability.

Examples

  • Her assessment of the play's actability helped the director make necessary adjustments before the first performance.

  • The actability of the new script made it a favorite among the actors during auditions.

  • In discussing the film adaptation, the producer highlighted the actability of the characters and their development throughout the story.

Synonyms

performability
vsactability
  • Specialized
8.4

How easy a musical piece or play is for people to present

is specific to scripts or roles suitable for staging by an actor

Antonyms

unsuitable
20 2.6

Not right for a person, place, or purpose

unactable
  • Jargon
8.6

A part or script people on stage cannot perform well

How Suitable

suitability
8 3.2
actability
  • Jargon
8.1

Surface Forms

actability singular
actabilities plural

Morphology

actability = actable (semi-transparent) = act + able + ity

The morphological structure is clear (act + -able + -ity), but the specific theatrical sense 'suitable for performance' is a domain-specific use that may not be obvious to all learners.

Etymology

Actability combines act ('to perform' or 'do') and -ability ('can' or 'quality of being'), much like the word actor shares the same act root. So it means how suitable a role or script is for being performed, or how 'able to be acted' it is.