as in unfit
lacking qualities (as knowledge, skill, or ability) required to do a job
an incompetent carpenter had built the deck, and the railings were loose already
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of incompetent
Briauna Brown, CBS News, 14 May 2026
Even if Brown is ruled incompetent, the case would not be dismissed.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
Bruce Jenkins, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incompetent
Adjective
She was recently ruled incompetent to stand trial in her son's murder and is awaiting to be transferred to a state hospital.
—Briauna Brown, CBS News, 14 May 2026
Even if Brown is ruled incompetent, the case would not be dismissed.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
Noun
The Dodgers reached the pinnacle honestly, in a capitalistic structure that properly hands no favors to the incompetent.
—Bruce Jenkins, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incompetent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incompetent
Adjective
-
Still, coaches worked to make the best of unfit practice locations and engage unsettled kids.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
-
All this while the federal government’s main tool for regulating medical software, the Food and Drug Administration’s device-approval process, is structurally unfit for regulating autonomous clinical AI.—
Alon Bergman,
STAT,
11 May 2026
Adjective
-
Mix Materials The beauty in the unfitted kitchen aesthetic is found in its collected look.—
Patricia Shannon,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 May 2025
-
The venerable American clan at the center of the narrator’s reminiscences are wholly unfitted to the modern world and no longer endowed with the fortune that one of them brought home long ago on clipper ships.—
Daniel Akst,
WSJ,
2 Sep. 2022
Adjective
-
Not that the Rays are incapable of putting the baseball off and over the wall.—
Tom Layberger,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
-
In a nutshell, Emilia resents her dad for decades of poor behavior, including a drinking problem that Martínez, who’s been sober for several years now, seems incapable of acknowledging.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
The formal living room has floral wallpaper, wide-plank wood floors, crown molding, and built-ins; the high-end kitchen features marble counters, a butcher-block island, and an adjoining dining area with French doors.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
11 May 2026
-
There is brief discussion of poison, and at one point, a fearsome butcher holds a knife.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
For more instant gratification, grab a muddler (or the back of a wooden spoon or the end of a rolling pin).—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate,
Denver Post,
19 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Incompetent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incompetent. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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