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electability

electability

11 6.9
How likely a candidate is to win an election
  • noun
  • /ɪˌlɛktəˈbɪlɪti/
: viabilidad electoral
  • Social conservatives do know that electability is important.
  • electability argument
  • electability question
  • issue of electability

Simply asking what's the relation between campaign spending and electability?

Examples

  • Standard convention practice was that party leaders would name the persons they believed provided the best combination of presidential capability and electability.

    Academic text (2003)
  • I questioned the electability of one GOP candidate.

    Blog text (11)
  • But count me among those who say that, in terms of electability, he missed an opportunity.

    Blog text (13)
  • If the answer is no, then work for that candidate and let someone else worry about electability.

    Blog text (29)
  • Like it or not, a hole the size of Texas has just been blown in his electability argument.

    Blog text (1)
  • All of you who talk about the electability of John McCain better think again.

    Blog text (16)
  • I think Paul concluded that this affected his electability, but I don't necessarily agree with that.

    Blog text (19)
  • I'm not participating in the electability argument in general because it's not my prime motivation in supporting Obama.

    Blog text (15)
  • Without the pressure of electability, US presidents proverbially get more adventurous in the second term, but the to-do list is nevertheless daunting.

    Blog text (10)
  • Political analysts often debate the candidates' electability in the upcoming election.

How Likely

certainty
  • Literature
198 3.4
electability
11 6.9
probability
212 3.6
possibility
∞ 2.0
unlikelihood
2 6.9
impossibility
34 5.3

Surface Forms

electability singular

Morphology

electability = electable (transparent) = elect + able + ity

The word 'electability' is transparently derived from 'electable' by adding the suffix '-ity' to form a noun indicating the state or quality of being electable.

Etymology

Electability comes from elect meaning 'to choose' and the ending -ability meaning 'the quality of being able'. So, electability is the 'ability to be chosen', which is why it describes how likely someone is to win an election.