as in inability
the lack of sufficient ability, power, or means
the astounding incompetence of the new assistant
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of incompetence
Your partner weaponizes their incompetence.
—
Joy Harden Bradford, AJC.com, 7 May 2026
Recovering monies lost through theft, fraud and or incompetence.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 4 May 2026
On Saturday Night Live, FBI Director Kash Patel attempted to put to rest allegations of workplace incompetence and abuse of privileges—only to cause more skepticism about his behavior.
—William Vaillancourt, Rolling Stone, 3 May 2026
But that type of incompetence from distance isn’t going to cut it in this series.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 2 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for incompetence
Joy Harden Bradford, AJC.com, 7 May 2026
Recovering monies lost through theft, fraud and or incompetence.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 4 May 2026
On Saturday Night Live, FBI Director Kash Patel attempted to put to rest allegations of workplace incompetence and abuse of privileges—only to cause more skepticism about his behavior.
—William Vaillancourt, Rolling Stone, 3 May 2026
But that type of incompetence from distance isn’t going to cut it in this series.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 2 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for incompetence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incompetence
inability
Noun
-
Unsurprisingly, Tigers athletic director Verge Ausberry had his new head coach's back while trashing former coach Brian Kelly and his inability to relate to boosters or fans during his time in Baton Rouge.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
-
Andrews’s essay comes to the defense of former Harvard President Larry Summers, who resigned under pressure in 2006 after arguing that women might be underrepresented in the hard sciences because of their innate lack of interest in those fields and their inability to perform at the highest levels.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incompetence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incompetence. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
