Examples of incompetence in a Sentence
Because of his incompetence, we won't make our deadline.
She was fired for gross incompetence.
Recent Examples on the Web
Claims of incompetence may shield responsible parties from criminal charges but not civil penalties.
—
U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2025
Defense attorney Alan Jackson told the jury the collision never happened, and the investigation into Read was riddled with errors, bias, incompetence and deceit from the start.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 24 Apr. 2025
Just because there was no big red folder saying 'war plans' does not mean there was no classified information...and this excuse only serves to highlight the incompetence, immaturity, and lack of seriousness for one of the most serious positions in the US Government.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025
The first Trump administration’s sheer incompetence kept many of those kinds of closures at bay.
—Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incompetence
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2025
Defense attorney Alan Jackson told the jury the collision never happened, and the investigation into Read was riddled with errors, bias, incompetence and deceit from the start.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 24 Apr. 2025
Just because there was no big red folder saying 'war plans' does not mean there was no classified information...and this excuse only serves to highlight the incompetence, immaturity, and lack of seriousness for one of the most serious positions in the US Government.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025
The first Trump administration’s sheer incompetence kept many of those kinds of closures at bay.
—Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incompetence
Cite this Entry
“Incompetence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incompetence. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
incompetence
noun
in·com·pe·tence
(ˈ)in-ˈkäm-pət-ən(t)s 
: the quality, state, or fact of being incompetent
Medical Definition
incompetence
noun
in·com·pe·tence
(ˈ)in-ˈkäm-pət-ən(t)s
1
: lack of legal qualification
2
: inability of an organ or part to perform its function adequately
incompetence of an aortic valve
Legal Definition
incompetence
noun
in·com·pe·tence
in-ˈkäm-pə-təns
: the state or fact of being incompetent compare competency
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share