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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of incapable
Despite overwhelming superiority, Washington was incapable of building a stable, legitimate South Vietnamese government or recognizing the grit and resilience of the North Vietnamese forces.
—
Monica Duffy Toft, The Conversation, 20 Mar. 2026
This definition also includes instance in which the victim is incapable of giving consent because of temporary or permanent mental or physical incapacity (include due to the influence of drugs or alcohol) or because of age.
—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 13 Mar. 2026
The teams projected in the 8-9 range this year look incapable of making things interesting in the round of 32.
—Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Defense attorneys for Copeland and Ucman told jurors their clients came from troubled upbringings that included abuse and bouts of homelessness, coupled with mental health issues that left them largely incapable of caring for themselves or a child.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incapable
Monica Duffy Toft, The Conversation, 20 Mar. 2026
This definition also includes instance in which the victim is incapable of giving consent because of temporary or permanent mental or physical incapacity (include due to the influence of drugs or alcohol) or because of age.
—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 13 Mar. 2026
The teams projected in the 8-9 range this year look incapable of making things interesting in the round of 32.
—Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Defense attorneys for Copeland and Ucman told jurors their clients came from troubled upbringings that included abuse and bouts of homelessness, coupled with mental health issues that left them largely incapable of caring for themselves or a child.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incapable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incapable
Adjective
-
The National Construction Authority found that 58% of the buildings in Nairobi were unfit for habitation.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Mar. 2026
-
If venue personnel deem any person to be a threat, or otherwise unfit, in their sole discretion, he or she will not be permitted access and shall forfeit the prize.—
AJC.com,
AJC.com,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
To this day, no court has found Newman is incompetent.—
Carrie Johnson,
NPR,
29 Mar. 2026
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Court documents show Lloyd has been found incompetent to stand trial multiple times in Hennepin County for charges of stalking.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 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
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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
-
Defender Luka Vuskovic’s long-range shot ricocheted off a defender, and Colombian goalkeeper Camilo Vargas was unable to stop it from hitting the back of the net.—
Kyle Foley,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
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Since the blockade, virtually everyone on the island has lost power in blackouts that, at one point, lasted 20 hours; three grids have broken down in four months; hospitals have been unable to function.—
Quico Toro,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incapable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incapable. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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