as in unfit
lacking qualities (as knowledge, skill, or ability) required to do a job
an incompetent carpenter had built the deck, and the railings were loose already
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of incompetent
Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
Here was a foolish and incompetent tribune of the nation’s racist vulgarians, opposed by the prosperous and the well educated, the civilized and the tolerant.
—Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Lang’s criminal case remains suspended because he has been deemed incompetent to stand trial, according to online court records.
—Adrienne Davis, jsonline.com, 20 Dec. 2025
The man accused of fatally shooting Robin Kaye, a longtime American Idol music supervisor, and her husband, the musician Thomas Deluca, inside their Los Angeles home last July, was declared incompetent to stand trial on Friday.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 19 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incompetent
Adjective
The owners didn’t care about it, the fans wanted smashmouth football, and the organization was too incompetent to ever hire the right people and bring in the right players to build a great offense.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for incompetent
Adjective
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To receive one of these designations from a doctor in this era was to be marked as unfit for society and a candidate for potential institution and sterilization.—
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Families of victims, human rights defenders and international bodies such as the UN have criticized the commissions for a lack of transparency, for being ineffective and ultimately unfit for delivering accountability.—
Adjective
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Mix Materials The beauty in the unfitted kitchen aesthetic is found in its collected look.—
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The venerable American clan at the center of the narrator’s reminiscences are wholly unfitted to the modern world and no longer endowed with the fortune that one of them brought home long ago on clipper ships.—
Adjective
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Today, however, these folks seem to be incapable of smiling while carrying out their governmental duties or speaking to the press or to Congress.—
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But regardless of the system the head coach plays, West Ham are incapable of keeping a clean sheet.—
Noun
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In 1872, Campbell represented a group of white New Orleans butchers who claimed that efforts by Louisiana’s Reconstruction legislature to regulate their industry violated their Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendment rights.—
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Marrow in Market will produce various raw meat cuts from its full-service butcher shop and specialty items.—
Noun
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For more instant gratification, grab a muddler (or the back of a wooden spoon or the end of a rolling pin).—
Cite this Entry
“Incompetent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incompetent. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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