portability
portability — noun
1. how easy something is to carry around because it is small and not heavy
how easy something is to carry around because it is small and not heavy
The laptop's portability let Nina finish reports on the train each morning.
the portability of [device]
Parents chose the stroller for its portability and quick folding frame.
portability for travel products
Because of the fan's portability, Omar carried it from room to room.
Portability matters when a field doctor packs tools for a mountain clinic.
The speaker lost some power, but its portability suited weekend beach trips.
- transportability
is more formal and often used in technical writing
- compactness
focuses on taking little space, not the full ease of carrying
- lightness
refers only to weight, so a light object is not always portable
文法句型
the portability of [device/object]
portability for travel
design for portability
用法筆記
Usually used for products such as laptops, speakers, bags, and travel equipment. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense is about a physical object being easy to carry, not about moving data or benefits to a new system or job.
常見錯誤
2. how easily benefits, data, or an account can move with you to a new job or a new
how easily benefits, data, or an account can move with you to a new job or a new system
The law improved portability of pension benefits when workers changed jobs.
portability of pension benefits
Customers asked for data portability before moving photos to a new cloud service.
data portability
Poor portability kept the old health app tied to one phone brand.
Portability between systems saved Maya hours when her office changed software.
Without portability, staff can lose years of pension credit after changing employers.
- transferability
is the closest synonym and sounds slightly more formal
- mobility
can be used for workers or benefits moving between jobs, but it is broader
- carry-over
is more informal and often refers to value or credit kept from an earlier stage
- lock-in
in technology or business, this means being stuck with one provider or system
- non-transferability
means something cannot be moved or kept when conditions change
文法句型
data portability
portability of benefits
portability between systems
用法筆記
Often appears with nouns such as data, benefits, pension, account, and system, especially in technology, finance, or policy writing. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is about keeping something usable when you change jobs or platforms, not about an object's weight or size.