as in inability
the lack of sufficient ability, power, or means
the astounding incompetence of the new assistant
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of incompetence
That was straight Nathaniel Hackett level incompetence.
—
Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 12 Oct. 2025
Legendary actress Vanessa Paradis turns in a remarkable performance as Anne, the director who takes it upon herself to investigate the murders after running up against police incompetence.
—Samantha Allen, Them., 7 Oct. 2025
He may be frustrated by the lack of basic defensive discipline and shape and Messi may shake his head at the incompetence behind him, but the choices made in roster construction just can’t always be compensated for by the boys from Barcelona.
—The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
In Minnesota, particularly, the Walz voter could not possibly turn against him for his incompetence that led to fraud and a broken trust.
—Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incompetence
Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 12 Oct. 2025
Legendary actress Vanessa Paradis turns in a remarkable performance as Anne, the director who takes it upon herself to investigate the murders after running up against police incompetence.
—Samantha Allen, Them., 7 Oct. 2025
He may be frustrated by the lack of basic defensive discipline and shape and Messi may shake his head at the incompetence behind him, but the choices made in roster construction just can’t always be compensated for by the boys from Barcelona.
—The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
In Minnesota, particularly, the Walz voter could not possibly turn against him for his incompetence that led to fraud and a broken trust.
—Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incompetence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incompetence
inability
Noun
-
Conventional approaches, such as visual serving and force control, often struggle to achieve reliable performance due to their inability to simultaneously address positional and force-related uncertainties.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Oct. 2025
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The victim told police that Ising had constantly harassed him at work for two years, sitting next to him during meals and joking about his inability to eat many foods because of his medical condition.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Incompetence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incompetence. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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