ineptitude

noun in·ep·ti·tude \ (ˌ)i-ˈnep-tə-ˌtüd , -ˌtyüd \

Updated on: 7 Apr 2018

Definition of ineptitude

: the quality or state of being inept; especially : incompetence

See ineptitude defined for English-language learners

Examples of ineptitude in a Sentence

The team's poor play is being blamed on the ineptitude of the coaching staff.
the nurse's ineptitude made it clear that she would be happier in a different line of work

Recent Examples of ineptitude from the Web

But along Baxter Street, everyone seems to have a story about the ineptitude of drivers — following directions from navigation apps — who can't seem to handle one of the steepest inclines in Los Angeles.

— steve lopez, latimes.com, "On one of L.A.'s steepest streets, an app-driven frenzy of spinouts, confusion and crashes," 4 Apr. 2018
The coach lacks integrity and the coach and owner exude ineptitude.

— doug lesmerises, cleveland.com, "How to root for the Browns while you don't believe in Hue Jackson: Doug Lesmerises," 22 Mar. 2018
His company has spent the past year stumbling through controversies over the peddling of fake news and enabling Russian manipulation of American voters, with various degrees of ineptitude.

— The Economist, "The Facebook scandal could change politics as well as the internet," 22 Mar. 2018
Yet former White House advisers from both parties have been mystified at the ineptitude of Mr. Trump’s team in dealing with the fallout from Mr. Porter’s situation.

— maggie haberman and julie hirschfeld davis, New York Times, "White House Seeks to Move On From Abuse Scandal. But What Did It Learn?," 19 Feb. 2018
Shapiro suspected that his old friend had joined the forces that were sidelining him, a struggle that came to a head when a scathing article about Shapiro’s ineptitude and ego appeared in the New York Daily News.

— andrew goldman, Town & Country, "The Rise and Fall of F. Lee Bailey, the Lawyer Who Set O.J. Simpson Free," 9 Mar. 2018
His most popular projects — all unsparing portraits of bureaucratic ineptitude — have alternated between skewering British and American politics but each is infused with his uniquely acerbic, cringe-inducing sense of humor.

— isaac feldberg, BostonGlobe.com, "Armando Iannucci sees the humor in history — even when it comes to Stalin," 8 Mar. 2018
During the ceremony, this trend of women’s preparedness and male ineptitude and cluelessness continued.

— allie jones, The Cut, "At the Golden Globes, Women Were Prepared to Talk," 8 Jan. 2018
Carson was the confirmation Trump and others needed to prove once and for all that African-Americans who struggle in this country do so because of their own lack of drive and ineptitude.

— dahleen glanton, chicagotribune.com, "HUD Secretary Ben Carson should have told Trump: 'No'," 6 Mar. 2018

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