as in inability
the lack of sufficient ability, power, or means
her entrenched incapacity for decision-making doesn't make her a very good boss
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Recent Examples of incapacity
The problem, in other words, is not fiscal incapacity but political choice.
—
James Sample, ABC News, 8 Nov. 2025
As the world becomes ever more complex, apparently the list of individual incapacities has grown.
—Jim Nowlan, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025
The executives have chuckled at the team’s seeming complacency and incapacity for change, which culminated in a 43-119 record in 2025, a finish that put the club on par with the 2024 Chicago White Sox and 1962 New York Mets in terms of futility.
—Andy McCullough, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
That spirit manages to survive a patently modern star turn from Mark Wahlberg, whose incapacity for nuance and self-reflection is well-served by a role that has little interest in either.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incapacity
James Sample, ABC News, 8 Nov. 2025
As the world becomes ever more complex, apparently the list of individual incapacities has grown.
—Jim Nowlan, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025
The executives have chuckled at the team’s seeming complacency and incapacity for change, which culminated in a 43-119 record in 2025, a finish that put the club on par with the 2024 Chicago White Sox and 1962 New York Mets in terms of futility.
—Andy McCullough, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
That spirit manages to survive a patently modern star turn from Mark Wahlberg, whose incapacity for nuance and self-reflection is well-served by a role that has little interest in either.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incapacity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incapacity
inability
Noun
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But its lofty position is threatened by, among other things, America’s own chronic inability to keep a balanced budget, and the administration’s trade policy is part of what’s holding it back from doing so.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
26 Feb. 2026
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Rust, more than most of the Penguins, has taken the franchise’s recent inability to reach the postseason especially hard in recent years.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incapacity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incapacity. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
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