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
Take, for instance, the notion that men need to be sturdy, stoic protectors, responsible for feeding a family but assumed incapable of carework, play, or tenderness.
—
Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2026
Bird seemed to be torn between Indiana and Indiana State, a small program that was playing in the hinterlands of Division I basketball, in danger of being banished to Division II, about to fire its head coach, and incapable of filling its new arena in Terre Haute.
—Keith O'Brien, Rolling Stone, 22 Feb. 2026
The detention center already expanded its RISE capacity restoration program to deal with defendants who are incapable of proceeding.
—Charlotte Observer, 20 Feb. 2026
Five goals down at half-time, the Azerbaijani champions were hapless and guileless, incapable of delaying or deflecting Gordon’s acceleration and utterly without attacking merit until the game was yanked far beyond them.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incapable
Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2026
Bird seemed to be torn between Indiana and Indiana State, a small program that was playing in the hinterlands of Division I basketball, in danger of being banished to Division II, about to fire its head coach, and incapable of filling its new arena in Terre Haute.
—Keith O'Brien, Rolling Stone, 22 Feb. 2026
The detention center already expanded its RISE capacity restoration program to deal with defendants who are incapable of proceeding.
—Charlotte Observer, 20 Feb. 2026
Five goals down at half-time, the Azerbaijani champions were hapless and guileless, incapable of delaying or deflecting Gordon’s acceleration and utterly without attacking merit until the game was yanked far beyond them.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incapable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incapable
Adjective
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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
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In October, Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Cristina Miranda found that Conner was mentally unfit to testify in person at trial and allowed the recorded testimony, even though defense attorneys will not be able to cross-examine him in front of the jury.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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And then fraud, which, looking back, was inevitable given our shattered and incompetent leadership.—
Joe Soucheray,
Twin Cities,
7 Mar. 2026
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The fourth priest died after being deemed incompetent to stand trial in 2022.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
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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Hintz was unable to skate off the ice under his own power.—
SportsDay Staff,
Dallas Morning News,
7 Mar. 2026
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The Gulf today is packed with tankers and other ships unable to get out, including Salgado’s, which is anchored off the coast of Iraq.—
Vanessa Yurkevich,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incapable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incapable. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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