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
Apparently incapable of not making a bad situation worse, Arthur accuses Olivia of being lonely for Rafferty, not for him.
—
Keith Phipps, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025
For decades, scientists believed the sleeping brain was essentially offline, incapable of forming new memories.
—Raghu Para, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Dallas’ defense is wholly incapable of stopping any opponent — so much so that team owner Jerry Jones had to sign veteran edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney immediately after Sunday’s overtime shootout win against the Giants.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Sep. 2025
But Loomans suggests that an external system is fundamentally incapable of creating a Zen-like feeling of tranquillity and calm.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incapable
Keith Phipps, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025
For decades, scientists believed the sleeping brain was essentially offline, incapable of forming new memories.
—Raghu Para, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Dallas’ defense is wholly incapable of stopping any opponent — so much so that team owner Jerry Jones had to sign veteran edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney immediately after Sunday’s overtime shootout win against the Giants.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Sep. 2025
But Loomans suggests that an external system is fundamentally incapable of creating a Zen-like feeling of tranquillity and calm.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incapable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incapable
Adjective
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Gostisbehere, Carolina’s best offensive defenseman, being unfit for the top four adds to that pressure.—
The Athletic NHL,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
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He was deemed unfit to stand trial, and spent the next 11 years in psychiatric hospitals.—
Elizabeth Yuko,
Rolling Stone,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Although Beijing has outcompeted Washington in Myanmar up to this point, the junta’s woefully incompetent management of its currency and foreign reserves presents an opportunity for the United States to recalibrate its approach to the country.—
Dan Swift,
Foreign Affairs,
30 Sep. 2025
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California, with its weak and incompetent Governor, has been particularly hard hit!—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Mix Materials The beauty in the unfitted kitchen aesthetic is found in its collected look.—
Patricia Shannon,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 May 2025
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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
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None of that compares to what the stars atop the lineup have been unable to do in this series.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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If unable to escape, face the shore and call or wave for help.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Incapable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incapable. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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