unskillful

adjective

un·​skill·​ful ˌən-ˈskil-fəl How to pronounce unskillful (audio)
: not skillful : lacking in skill or proficiency
unskillfully adverb
unskillfulness noun

Examples of unskillful in a Sentence

an unskillful editor can be worse than none at all some painfully unskillful playing by the band's guitarist
Recent Examples on the Web It was intended to be a mockery of the way White people danced, though plantation owners often interpreted slaves' movements as unskillful attempts to be like them. Scottie Andrew and Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 6 July 2020 As is often the case, Louie was unlucky — and also unskillful. Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unskillful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unskillful was in 1565

Dictionary Entries Near unskillful

Cite this Entry

“Unskillful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unskillful. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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