incompatible

adjective

in·com·pat·i·ble | \ ˌin-kəm-ˈpa-tə-bəl

Definition of incompatible

1 : incapable of being held by one person at one time —used of offices that make conflicting demands on the holder

2 : not compatible: such as

a : incapable of association or harmonious coexistence incompatible colors

b : unsuitable for use together because of undesirable chemical or physiological effects incompatible drugs

c : not both true incompatible propositions

d : incapable of blending into a stable homogeneous mixture

Other Words from incompatible Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about incompatible

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Examples of incompatible in a Sentence

This printer is incompatible with some PCs. the committee's incompatible goals—develop new projects and cut costs—meant that they got very little accomplished

Recent Examples on the Web

Among them was to halt accepting new novices in monasteries nationwide for a year and giving monks across Egypt one month to close their social media accounts arguing that keeping them is incompatible with monastic life. — Fox News, "Egypt prosecutors order ex-monk detained over abbot death," 11 Aug. 2018 Many seem to have set the formula aside as incompatible with the current views of the party base, which is seen as demanding either a full pitch for social democracy, an explicit focus on questions of racial and gender identity, or both. — Matthew Yglesias, Vox, "Joe Biden is leading the 2020 polls. Here’s what he thinks about policy.," 18 Dec. 2018 Both Canada and Mexico quickly rejected that as incompatible with the core principles of an agreement designed to tighten integration of a continentwide bloc. — Santiago Pérez, WSJ, "In Nafta Rewrite, Canada Took Cue From Mexico: Make a Big Concession," 29 Nov. 2018 Some relationships are kink-incompatible, which means that partners may be turned on by different things, and that can sometimes be worked around (more on this later). — Sophie Saint Thomas, Allure, "Kink-Shaming 101: The Stigma-Free Guide to Disclosing Your Sexual Kinks and Fetishes," 3 Oct. 2018 Authorities’ mass-surveillance ambitions are bedeviled by unreliable and incomplete basic data, as well as incompatible datasets and systems developed by different companies, among other problems. — Maya Wang, WSJ, "China’s Bumbling Police State," 26 Dec. 2018 Microsoft has since been working on ensuring all PCs can get the update, after blocking it on some systems that had incompatible software or hardware drivers. — Tom Warren, The Verge, "Windows 10 October 2018 Update is now available for everyone to download," 18 Dec. 2018 In other words, the qualities that inform the warmest pieces about Bush as a post-presidential figure, especially those after his death, were also the ones that made his style incompatible with the late-20th-century presidency. — Julia Azari, Vox, "Death of a statesman: George H.W. Bush’s legacy," 6 Dec. 2018 Wiedmeyer said her office could not use the commission’s incompatible equipment, which has been sold. — Susan Demar Lafferty, Daily Southtown, "Will County to spend $72,400 to take over Aurora precincts," 12 July 2018

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

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Last Updated

5 Mar 2019

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Time Traveler for incompatible

The first known use of incompatible was in the 15th century

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More Definitions for incompatible

incompatible

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of incompatible

: not able to exist together without trouble or conflict : not going together well

: not able to be used together

See the full definition for incompatible in the English Language Learners Dictionary

incompatible

adjective

in·com·pat·i·ble | \ ˌin-kəm-ˈpa-tə-bəl

Kids Definition of incompatible

1 : not able to exist together without trouble or conflict incompatible workers incompatible plans

2 : not able to be used together This video game is incompatible with that system.

incompatible

adjective

in·com·pat·i·ble | \ ˌin-kəm-ˈpat-ə-bəl

Medical Definition of incompatible

1 : unsuitable for use together because of chemical interaction or antagonistic physiological effects incompatible drugs

2 of blood or serum : unsuitable for use in a particular transfusion because of the presence of agglutinins that act against the recipient's red blood cells