incapable

adjective in·ca·pa·ble \ (ˌ)in-ˈkā-pə-bəl \

|Updated on: 11 Jun 2018

Examples: incapable in a Sentence

Definition of incapable

1 : lacking capacity, ability, or qualification for the purpose or end in view: such as

a archaic : not able to take in, hold, or keep

b archaic : not receptive

c : not being in a state or of a kind to admit : insusceptible

d : not able or fit for the doing or performance : incompetent

2 : lacking legal qualification or power (as by reason of mental incompetence) : disqualified

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incapability

play \(ˌ)in-ˌkā-pə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

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incapableness

play \(ˌ)in-ˈkā-pə-bəl-nəs\ noun

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incapably

play \(ˌ)in-ˈkā-pə-blē\ adverb

See incapable defined for English-language learners

See incapable defined for kids

Examples of incapable in a Sentence

hired a supremely incapable assistant who only made a mess of things

Recent Examples of incapable from the Web

Without a doubt, the child welfare system needs to remove and protect children whose parents are incapable or unwilling to provide a safe, nurturing environment.

— linda valdez, The Republic | azcentral.com, "Valdez: DCS removes the most kids from high poverty ZIP codes. That's no coincidence," 27 May 2018
Something about the fictional woman’s futile, mundane, and desperately hopeful gesture tapped into a sense of bewilderment so many felt deeply, but were incapable of expressing.

— refinery29.com, "Why We Keep Coming Back To The Onion's Satirical Article On Mass Shootings," 18 May 2018
Both ideas would help let the car’s system know if the driver has stopped paying attention, which could reduce the chance of an accident in situations where Autopilot disengages or is incapable of keeping the car from crashing.

— sean o'kane, The Verge, "Tesla rejected more advanced driver monitoring features on its cars," 14 May 2018
Though Mountain Ridge scored first, the Mountain Lions were incapable of maintaining that offense.

— aaron nicholson, azcentral, "Mountain View baseball wins, 7-1, forces Saturday rematch," 11 May 2018
The four rights groups — Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Global Center for the Responsibility to Protect, and Fortify Rights — said Myanmar’s government is incapable of bringing those responsible for such crimes to justice.

— Time, "The U.N. Urges Myanmar to Seek Accountability for Violence Against Rohingya," 11 May 2018
The authorities in Myanmar are incapable of holding themselves to account so the clock is ticking to act.

— Washington Post, "4 rights groups urge UN council to refer Myanmar to ICC," 10 May 2018
Specifically, Trump is worried that his aging, attention-hungry attorney might be incapable of staying on message in cable news interviews.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump Worried Aging, Loudmouth New Yorker Can’t Stay on Message," 8 May 2018
Embassy officials in all three countries concluded that the three governments were incapable of absorbing the return of so many people, according to the report, which was first reported by The Washington Post.

— alan gomez, USA TODAY, "Trump administration overruled U.S. embassy officials to end immigration program," 8 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'incapable.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.