as in unfit
lacking qualities (as knowledge, skill, or ability) required to do a job
hired a supremely incapable assistant who only made a mess of things
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of incapable
Hollywood on a bad day is paralyzed, absolutely paralyzed, and incapable of making new decisions.
—
Benjamin Vanhoose, PEOPLE, 5 June 2026
After breaking his leg late in the 2017 season, Sanó required surgery and was physically incapable.
—Dan Hayes, New York Times, 3 June 2026
Josh, who wants to be an investigative journalist, is an idealist in a PBS T-shirt (and with a PBS tote bag) who gets by on family money and is incapable of taking care of himself in any practical way.
—Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026
In The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni argues that teams avoiding productive conflict become incapable of peer accountability because people hesitate to challenge each other directly.
—Patrick Jinks, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for incapable
Benjamin Vanhoose, PEOPLE, 5 June 2026
After breaking his leg late in the 2017 season, Sanó required surgery and was physically incapable.
—Dan Hayes, New York Times, 3 June 2026
Josh, who wants to be an investigative journalist, is an idealist in a PBS T-shirt (and with a PBS tote bag) who gets by on family money and is incapable of taking care of himself in any practical way.
—Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026
In The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni argues that teams avoiding productive conflict become incapable of peer accountability because people hesitate to challenge each other directly.
—Patrick Jinks, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for incapable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incapable
Adjective
-
Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the governor’s wife, said the investigation showed that Trump is unfit for office.—
Sophie Austin,
Fortune,
15 June 2026
-
Ziske believes Chris and Shauntel Kepner are unfit to have custody of the remaining children, given what allegedly transpired on the cruise ship.—
Cristian Benavides,
CBS News,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
White, who was taken into custody by federal agents, was later found incompetent to stand trial on hijacking and murder charges.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
11 June 2026
-
Bell, as expected, found Brown mentally incompetent.—
Julia Coin
June 11,
Charlotte Observer,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
For decades, Nike and its competitors were unable to sign comprehensive sponsorship deals with athletes.—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
11 Dec. 2025
-
Missouri State was unable to reach that same mark this year in CUSA but still won five conference games in its inaugural FBS season.—
Maddie Hartley,
Kansas City Star,
11 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Incapable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incapable. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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