ineligible
adjective
in·el·i·gi·ble
(ˌ)i-ˈne-lə-jə-bəl 
: not eligible: such as
a
: not qualified for an office or position
b
: not permitted under football rules to catch a forward pass
an ineligible receiver
ineligible
noun
Examples of ineligible in a Sentence
Previously ineligible patients may now be able to participate in the study.
They are ineligible for a loan.
Recent Examples on the Web
Undocumented immigrants are ineligible for Obamacare benefits and Medicaid.
—
Rebecca Schneid, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, the 21,000 properties declared newly ineligible for city service now are responsible for negotiating deals for service from one of five private haulers — and many have struggled to do so.
—Sam Schulz, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Sep. 2025
All of this is something Democrats have denounced, but there do not appear to be concrete plans to keep coverage for the groups about to become ineligible.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Mokoena, one of South Africa’s star players, had accumulated two yellow cards in the previous qualifying games (against Benin in November 2023 and against Zimbabwe in June 2024) and, therefore, should have been ineligible for South Africa’s game against Lesotho.
—Nnamdi Onyeagwara, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ineligible
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Rebecca Schneid, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, the 21,000 properties declared newly ineligible for city service now are responsible for negotiating deals for service from one of five private haulers — and many have struggled to do so.
—Sam Schulz, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Sep. 2025
All of this is something Democrats have denounced, but there do not appear to be concrete plans to keep coverage for the groups about to become ineligible.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Mokoena, one of South Africa’s star players, had accumulated two yellow cards in the previous qualifying games (against Benin in November 2023 and against Zimbabwe in June 2024) and, therefore, should have been ineligible for South Africa’s game against Lesotho.
—Nnamdi Onyeagwara, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ineligible
Cite this Entry
“Ineligible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ineligible. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ineligible
adjective
in·el·i·gi·ble
(ˈ)in-ˈel-ə-jə-bəl
: not qualified to be chosen or used
ineligible
noun
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