incompatibility

noun

in·​com·​pat·​i·​bil·​i·​ty ˌin-kəm-ˌpa-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

plural incompatibilities

1

a

: the quality or state of being incompatible

b

: lack of interfertility between two plants

2

incompatibilities plural : mutually antagonistic things or qualities

Examples of incompatibility in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For cats specifically, additional reasons included family members having allergies; issues with house soiling; and incompatibility with other pets. —Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025

This is despite challenges such as limited scalability, security vulnerabilities, high maintenance costs and incompatibility with modern technologies. —Adrian Bridgwater, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025

Nevertheless, the city’s DOT, which runs the Staten Island Ferry, began testing the fuel on one vessel — the Sen. John J. Marchi — in October to rule out any incompatibilities. —Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 17 June 2025

Between 50% to 75% of acquisitions fail, with cultural incompatibility cited as one of the main reasons. —Rem Oculee, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for incompatibility

• communicability
• comprehensibility
• deliverability
• differentiability
• impenetrability
• impermeability
• impracticability
• inaccessibility
• inadmissibility
• inapplicability
• indestructibility
• indispensability

Kids Definition

incompatibility

noun

in·​com·​pat·​i·​bil·​i·​ty ˌin-kəm-ˌpat-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

plural incompatibilities

: the quality or state of being incompatible

Medical Definition

incompatibility

noun

in·​com·​pat·​i·​bil·​i·​ty ˌin-kəm-ˌpat-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

plural incompatibilities

: the quality or state of being incompatible

chemical incompatibility