noun

die Kapazität, -en

capacity

Die größte Menge, die in etwas Platz hat oder die eine Person, Maschine oder Gruppe leisten kann.

Definition & meaning

Kapazität has several related meanings:

The amount something can hold, produce, store, or handle: the capacity or maximum capability of a place, system, or resource.
Example: the capacity of a stadium or a production facility.
Available room or resources: the time, staff, or ability available to take on more work.
Example: “We have no capacity for additional projects.”
A person’s ability or expertise: someone’s skill or aptitude. It can also describe a highly regarded expert in a particular field.
In physics and electrical engineering: capacitance, a measure of a component’s ability to store electric charge.

Grammar & word origin

Kapazität is a feminine noun: die Kapazität. Its plural is die Kapazitäten.

The word comes through French from Latin capacitas (“capacity”), related to Latin capax (“able to contain”).

Synonyms & antonyms

The best synonym depends on the sense:

Fassungsvermögen means how much something can physically hold; it is narrower than Kapazität, which can also refer to performance or available resources.
Leistungsfähigkeit emphasizes what a person or system can do, rather than how much it can hold.
Fähigkeit means ability or skill, but does not usually suggest a maximum amount or available workload.
Fachgröße refers to a prominent expert; it applies only to the person-related sense.

There is no single antonym that fits every meaning. For the sense of personal ability, Unfähigkeit or Inkompetenz can be opposites. When Kapazität means available resources, Überlastung describes a situation where demands exceed what is available, rather than a direct antonym.