as in unfit
lacking qualities (as knowledge, skill, or ability) required to do a job
hired a supremely incapable assistant who only made a mess of things
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of incapable
Before then, shadow president Elon Musk will try to illegally fire most of its staff, rendering the NLRB incapable of conducting union representation elections or investigating discrimination against union activists.
—
Shaun Richman, New York Daily News, 6 Apr. 2025
Regardless, there was no reason for Minnesota to not get better last-second looks Tuesday against a Denver team that’s proven incapable of guarding the Wolves.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 2 Apr. 2025
Rats, for example, are incapable of vomiting, which is why rat poison works so well.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 7 Apr. 2025
When sprayed with a strong burst of water from a hose, the larvae are incapable of climbing back up to the leaves to resume feeding.
—Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incapable
Shaun Richman, New York Daily News, 6 Apr. 2025
Regardless, there was no reason for Minnesota to not get better last-second looks Tuesday against a Denver team that’s proven incapable of guarding the Wolves.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 2 Apr. 2025
Rats, for example, are incapable of vomiting, which is why rat poison works so well.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 7 Apr. 2025
When sprayed with a strong burst of water from a hose, the larvae are incapable of climbing back up to the leaves to resume feeding.
—Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incapable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incapable
Adjective
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Declared mentally unfit to stand trial, he was committed to the Mendota Mental Health Institute.—
Jenna deJong,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 May 2025
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That figure comprises people found psychiatrically unfit for trial but are stuck on Rikers awaiting a bed in a state psychiatric facility.—
Graham Rayman,
New York Daily News,
5 May 2025
Adjective
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But Elmer is equally incompetent there, too, robbing the wrong train, failing at safecracking, miscalculating explosives and getting ignobly killed by lawmen in an Oklahoma shootout in 1911.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2025
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However, problematic ones try to control every outcome, usually out of fear of failure or appearing incompetent.—
Sho Dewan,
Forbes.com,
26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Such an atmosphere also places immense pressure on Iranian filmmakers who are unable to work outside the official system or beyond censorship.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
5 May 2025
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So, even though neither partner intends to hurt the other, the fear of rejection, whether real or imagined, can keep you both in a state of hyper-awareness, unable to relax.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
4 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Incapable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incapable. Accessed 13 May. 2025.
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