facility
C1Formal to neutral
Definition
Meaning
A place, building, or piece of equipment provided for a specific purpose, or the ability to do something easily.
An inherent mental or physical ability; a feature or amenity that makes an action or process easier; a service or opportunity.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The meaning shifts significantly depending on context: physical place (sports facility), equipment (facilities for cooking), inherent skill (facility with languages), or enabling service (banking facility). It is often plural in the physical/equipment sense.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal. Both use the term similarly for buildings, equipment, and skills. In financial contexts, 'credit facility' is standard in both.
Connotations
In both, often implies something purpose-built, official, or institutional. Can sound formal or bureaucratic.
Frequency
Comparably common in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
have a facility for + noun/gerund (skill)have the facility to + infinitive (capability)provide/offer facilities for + nounat/in a/the facility (place)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “with consummate facility (formal)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to financial credit arrangements or physical plants (e.g., 'a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility').
Academic
Used for campus buildings or a person's cognitive skill (e.g., 'a facility for quantitative analysis').
Everyday
Most commonly for public amenities (e.g., 'parking facilities', 'sports facilities').
Technical
Specific to an industry's operational site (e.g., 'nuclear waste storage facility', 'server facility').
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The term is not commonly used as a verb in modern English.
American English
- The term is not commonly used as a verb in modern English.
adverb
British English
- The adverb 'facilely' exists but is rare and relates to 'facile', not 'facility'.
American English
- The adverb 'facilely' exists but is rare and relates to 'facile', not 'facility'.
adjective
British English
- The related adjective is 'facilitative' (formal), not 'facility'. 'Facile' is a separate adjective meaning simplistic.
American English
- The related adjective is 'facilitative' (formal), not 'facility'. 'Facile' is a separate adjective meaning simplistic.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The hotel has a swimming facility.
- The new sports facility is very big.
- The university provides excellent library and computing facilities.
- She has a natural facility for learning new software.
- The bank agreed to extend a £50,000 credit facility to the business.
- The research was conducted at a specialised laboratory facility.
- His facility with complex legal arguments impressed the senior partners.
- The treaty includes provisions for the inspection of nuclear facilities.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a 'facility' as something that makes a task FACIL (like 'facile' = easy) - either a place that makes an activity easy to do, or a skill that makes performing easy.
Conceptual Metaphor
ABILITY IS A TOOL/PLACE (e.g., 'He has a facility for languages' implies he possesses a mental tool). SERVICE/PLACE IS AN ENABLER.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid translating directly as 'фасилити' – it's not a common Russian word. For a building/place, use 'объект', 'комплекс', 'центр'. For skill, use 'способность', 'умение', 'легкость'. The financial term is 'кредитная линия'.
Common Mistakes
- Using it as an uncountable noun for a single item (e.g., 'a big facility' is fine for a building, but 'a computer facility' sounds odd; prefer 'computer facilities' or 'a computer lab'). Confusing 'facility' (noun) with 'facile' (adjective, often pejorative).
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'facility' used to mean 'inherent skill or ease'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but its countability depends on meaning. For a physical place or piece of equipment, it is countable (e.g., 'two new facilities'). When meaning 'skill/ease', it is usually uncountable (e.g., 'he speaks with facility').
A 'faculty' is primarily an inherent mental/physical power (the faculty of speech) or a university department. A 'facility' is an external place/equipment or a developed skill. Don't say 'language faculty' when you mean 'language facility' (skill).
A single, distinct building or complex is 'a facility' (a sports facility). 'Facilities' (plural) is often used to refer to the amenities or equipment collectively within a place, or multiple buildings (e.g., 'The hotel's facilities include a pool and gym').
It is neutral to formal. In everyday talk, people might use simpler words like 'place', 'building', 'skill', or 'equipment'. It's common in official, business, and academic contexts.