incapable

adjective

in·​ca·​pa·​ble (ˌ)in-ˈkā-pə-bəl 

1

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

a

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

b

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

c

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

d

archaic : not receptive

2

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

incapability

(ˌ)in-ˌkā-pə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

incapableness

(ˌ)in-ˈkā-pə-bəl-nəs 

noun

incapably

(ˌ)in-ˈkā-pə-blē 

adverb

Synonyms

• inapt
• incompetent
• inept
• inexpert
• unable
• unfit
• unfitted
• unqualified
• unskilled
• unskillful

Examples of incapable in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Of the 600 wounded who remain, 150 are incapable of walking independent of any help — men, women and children with fractures, lower limb amputations or orthopedic fixation devices. —Sarah Dadouch, Washington Post, 20 Nov. 2023

In interviews, people who know Brand described him to me as someone almost pathologically incapable of not having an audience and willing to do virtually anything to keep it. —Matt Flegenheimer, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2023

By sharing her story in unemotional terms, Spears creates distance between herself and the childish, incapable image of her proliferated by her conservatorship, condemning the forces that paralyzed her between two stages of life. —TIME, 20 Oct. 2023

Yet, for all his accolades and accomplishments, Mr. Knight was incapable of curbing his temper or his tongue. —Matt Schudel, Washington Post, 1 Nov. 2023

The lack of diversity and representation in the media reinforces the idea that Black people, specifically Black women, are incapable of telling their own stories and that their narratives are unimportant. —Essence, 31 Oct. 2023

No leader who is demonstrably incapable of protecting Jews in his or her own country should try to prevent Israel from defending itself. —The Editorial Board, WSJ, 30 Oct. 2023

The victim’s father, David Ordaz, said the incident has destroyed his family and left him incapable of ever trusting law enforcement. —James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2023

At that time, the conventional wisdom was that women were incapable of completing such a physically demanding task and that attempting to do so could harm their precious reproductive capacities. —Cara Ocobock, Scientific American, 19 Oct. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Middle French, from in- + capable capable

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

incapable

adjective

in·​ca·​pa·​ble (ˈ)in-ˈkā-pə-bəl 

: not able to do something

incapable of cleaning her room thoroughly

incapability

(ˌ)in-ˌkā-pə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

Legal Definition

incapable

adjective

in·​ca·​pa·​ble

: lacking legal qualification or power (as by reason of mental incompetence) see also incapacity