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

Based on the 80/20 rule, there will always be certain incompatibilities. —Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025

But issues related to food-system reform have exposed potential incompatibilities between MAHA and leaders of the Republican Party, which has long been aligned with the food and agricultural industries, food-policy experts say. —Dominique Mosbergen, Time, 29 Sep. 2025

Red flags warn of potential harm or incompatibility. —Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025

This often leads to incompatibility between vendors’ equipment, raising integration costs and risking IT and facility lifecycle mismatch. —Ni Tao, Interesting Engineering, 19 Aug. 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