as in inability
the lack of sufficient ability, power, or means
the incompetency of the secretary was revealed only after she had left the company, and her successor discovered years of filing left undone
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Recent Examples of incompetency
Portalatin’s petition seeks to remove Wilder and Saenz using a statute in the Texas Local Government Code that allows for citizens to seek public officials’ removal due to incompetency, official misconduct or drunkenness both on and off duty.
—
Cody Copeland, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Aug. 2025
If Black and Middlebrooks plan to make that challenge, their lawyers must file petitions alleging incompetency between May 27-29 for Black and between July 7-9 for Middlebrooks.
—Evan Mealins, Nashville Tennessean, 3 Mar. 2025
When pressed on such timelines during a Senate hearing in December 2024, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf reiterated the issue isn’t a matter of corruption or incompetency, but federal support.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 15 Jan. 2025
It's been a revolving door of incompetency under center for the Browns this year.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 2 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incompetency
Cody Copeland, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Aug. 2025
If Black and Middlebrooks plan to make that challenge, their lawyers must file petitions alleging incompetency between May 27-29 for Black and between July 7-9 for Middlebrooks.
—Evan Mealins, Nashville Tennessean, 3 Mar. 2025
When pressed on such timelines during a Senate hearing in December 2024, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf reiterated the issue isn’t a matter of corruption or incompetency, but federal support.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 15 Jan. 2025
It's been a revolving door of incompetency under center for the Browns this year.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 2 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incompetency
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incompetency
Noun
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Instead, there was a perceptible rise in militant attacks within Pakistan, accompanied by Kabul’s reluctance or inability to decisively act against Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.—
Rabia Akhtar,
The Conversation,
20 Mar. 2026
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In the lawsuit, the former agents said their firings run afoul of FBI policy, which stipulates that agents can only be removed for cause, such as poor performance on the job, abuse of leave, misconduct, national security concerns or an inability to perform their duties.—
Sarah N. Lynch,
CBS News,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
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But through a series of mistakes and apparent incompetence, the dispatchers never got the information to police who were seconds away.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
18 Mar. 2026
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The charges of incompetence and making untrue representations remain in place and will be considered at the second hearing, now scheduled for July 23-24, 2026.—
Clark Kauffman,
Iowa Capital Dispatch,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incompetency.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incompetency. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
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