ineptitude

noun

in·​ep·​ti·​tude (ˌ)i-ˈnep-tə-ˌtüd How to pronounce ineptitude (audio)
-ˌtyüd
: the quality or state of being inept
especially : incompetence

Examples of ineptitude in a Sentence

The team's poor play is being blamed on the ineptitude of the coaching staff. the nurse's ineptitude made it clear that she would be happier in a different line of work
Recent Examples on the Web Baseball’s draft is the ultimate crapshoot, but this goes beyond front office ineptitude. Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 May 2024 Sheila’s ineptitude, Dr. Cavalier calls her therapist, Trish (Tina Fey), who in turn has to call her own therapist — one of the patients in Dr? Sarah Lyall, New York Times, 8 May 2024 After their offensive ineptitude in Philadelphia led to a team meeting and a visibly peeved manager, a five-run performance was much-needed. Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 7 May 2024 In addition to the disorder, ineptitude and ambient corruption that characterized his first term, Trump was the weakest president since the New Deal. Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 28 Jan. 2024 Wilson’s trial has long been a source of intrigue, not only because of the nature of the offense, but due to his attorneys’ ineptitude and a scandal that wouldn’t be uncovered until years later. Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 12 Jan. 2024 Charlotte’s own offensive ineptitude certainly played a part. Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2024 A week after the Chicago Bears clinched the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft due to the ineptitude of the Carolina Panthers, the Washington Commanders, New England Patriots, Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Chargers secured top-five selections. Jim Reineking, USA TODAY, 8 Jan. 2024 And then there’s Tier Three, the most sophisticated tier, where the joke is not so much on Kate or whatever ominous theory has been devised to explain her whereabouts, but on the utter ineptitude of the Royal Family to quell the rising surge of antipathy towards them. Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ineptitude.' 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

Latin ineptitudo, from ineptus

First Known Use

1615, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ineptitude was in 1615

Dictionary Entries Near ineptitude

Cite this Entry

“Ineptitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ineptitude. Accessed 17 May. 2024.

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