inept

adjective

in·​ept i-ˈnept How to pronounce inept (audio)
1
: generally incompetent : bungling
inept leadership
2
: lacking in fitness or aptitude : unfit
inept at sports
3
: not suitable to the time, place, or occasion : inappropriate often to an absurd degree
an inept metaphor
4
: lacking sense or reason : foolish
ineptly adverb
ineptness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for inept

awkward, clumsy, maladroit, inept, gauche mean not marked by ease (as of performance, movement, or social conduct).

awkward is widely applicable and may suggest unhandiness, inconvenience, lack of muscular control, embarrassment, or lack of tact.

periods of awkward silence

clumsy implies stiffness and heaviness and so may connote inflexibility, unwieldiness, or lack of ordinary skill.

a clumsy mechanic

maladroit suggests a tendency to create awkward situations.

a maladroit politician

inept often implies complete failure or inadequacy.

a hopelessly inept defense attorney

gauche implies the effects of shyness, inexperience, or ill breeding.

felt gauche and unsophisticated at formal parties

Examples of inept in a Sentence

Not only does the post have a narrow mandate, covering such sexy subjects as nuclear waste and solar energy, but the secretary presides over the most inept bureaucrats in the land. Franklin Foer, New Republic, 3 July 2000
The real hackers have an understanding of technology at a basic level.  … The rest are talentless poseurs and hangers-on, either completely inept or basic criminals. Bruce Schneier, Secrets & Lies, 2000
To Cornelius, the White House travel office must have seemed—as it would have to any of the others who had served on the tight ship of the campaign's travel operation—an appallingly inept … operation. Peter J. Boyer, New Yorker, 15 Apr. 1996
He was completely inept at sports. He made an inept attempt to apologize.
Recent Examples on the Web The technology is bewildering, producing results that can seem magical and brilliant one moment and inept and dangerously wrong the next. Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 12 Mar. 2024 Selby, a jeweler, was hired in 2022 as her manager and seems inept at how to handle the severity of the situation. Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 26 Feb. 2024 That — along with stylish mullets, mistreating jungle cats, inept murder-for-hire plots, and of course, meth — is his weakness. Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 21 Feb. 2024 But the Dolphins must figure out a way to be not quite as inept in that area, especially against Buffalo. Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 9 Feb. 2024 Jamal Agnew scored the Lions’ only points on a 74-yard punt return touchdown. Dec. 28, 1997: Buccaneers 20, Lions 10 Once upon a time, the Bucs were as equally inept a franchise as the Lions. Jared Ramsey, Detroit Free Press, 19 Jan. 2024 Voters will not trust these inept leaders with more money. The San Diego Union-Tribune Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Feb. 2024 Barring that inept performance, the rest of the class was quite evenly matched, with five cars finishing on the same lap and split by less than 20 seconds. Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 3 Feb. 2024 An inept, feckless and unpopular Palestinian Authority, a voiceless Palestinian people, armed settlers and an Israeli military with an ambiguous mission coexist in the treacherous vacuum of putative but ever-more-inconceivable Palestinian statehood. Roger Cohen, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inept.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle French inepte, from Latin ineptus, from in- + aptus apt

First Known Use

1542, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of inept was in 1542

Dictionary Entries Near inept

Cite this Entry

“Inept.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inept. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

inept

adjective
in·​ept in-ˈept How to pronounce inept (audio)
1
: not suited for the occasion : inappropriate
an inept remark
2
: lacking in skill or ability : incompetent
ineptitude
-ˈep-tə-ˌt(y)üd
noun
ineptly adverb
ineptness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on inept

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!