incompetent

adjective

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in·com·pe·tent | \ (ˌ)in-ˈkäm-pə-tənt

Definition of incompetent

1a : lacking the qualities needed for effective action

b : unable to function properly incompetent heart valves

2 : not legally qualified

3 : inadequate to or unsuitable for a particular purpose

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Examples of incompetent in a Sentence

He is too incompetent to be trusted with such an important responsibility. The patient is mentally incompetent. The defendant was declared incompetent to stand trial.

Recent Examples on the Web Upon further review, Meyer has been incompetent as an NFL coach and made bad decision after bad decision. — Mike Bianchi, orlandosentinel.com, 5 Oct. 2021 The county maintains that the data in question never was deleted but that the contractors hired by the Senate were too incompetent to find it on the equipment that the county turned over to the Senate for the audit. — Ryan Randazzo, The Arizona Republic, 26 Sep. 2021 He had previously been found incompetent in April 2020, FOX 5 reported. — Fox News, 8 July 2021 Two months later, he was found incompetent to stand trial. — Kevin Grasha, The Enquirer, 2 July 2021 Across the system, patients there have a variety of needs, ranging from ventilator care for conditions like ALS to psychiatric care for people found incompetent to stand trial. — BostonGlobe.com, 7 Sep. 2021 In Maryland, criminal defendants who cannot understand the charges against them or cannot follow legal proceedings are deemed incompetent to stand trial. — Dan Morse, Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2021 Typically, they are approved by court order after a person is found incompetent to manage their own affairs, such as a person diagnosed with dementia or with developmental disabilities. — Ryan Yu, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Aug. 2021 Republicans are seeking to use the crisis to create a narrative that Biden is incompetent, and to broaden the critique to his handling of border policies, the resurgence of the pandemic and the economy. — Stephen Collinson, CNN, 23 Aug. 2021

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