as in unfit
lacking qualities (as knowledge, skill, or ability) required to do a job
an incompetent carpenter had built the deck, and the railings were loose already
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of incompetent
Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 2 Feb. 2026
Oil from free America bailed out the virtue-signaling, totally incompetent Democrats here.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 1 Feb. 2026
That means the former voters died, moved away, registered in another state, were convicted of a felony crime, deemed incompetent to vote by a judge or were removed from the state's voter rolls because of inactivity.
—Molly Beck, jsonline.com, 30 Jan. 2026
The attacker in the 2015 Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood mass shooting was found incompetent to proceed for a decade, and was never convicted in the attack.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incompetent
Adjective
But this time, instead of managing guest complaints, incompetent stews, and steamy boatmances as the chief stewardess of Parsifal III on Below Deck Sailing Yacht, Daisy has jumped ship (literally) as the new chief stew on Below Deck Down Under.
—Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 2 Feb. 2026
Oil from free America bailed out the virtue-signaling, totally incompetent Democrats here.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 1 Feb. 2026
That means the former voters died, moved away, registered in another state, were convicted of a felony crime, deemed incompetent to vote by a judge or were removed from the state's voter rolls because of inactivity.
—Molly Beck, jsonline.com, 30 Jan. 2026
The attacker in the 2015 Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood mass shooting was found incompetent to proceed for a decade, and was never convicted in the attack.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incompetent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incompetent
Adjective
-
The running back suffered ligament tears while dislocating his ankle, which resulted in a compound wound and replays unfit for television.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
13 Feb. 2026
-
The Department of Homeland Security has disputed accusations of unfit conditions.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Mix Materials The beauty in the unfitted kitchen aesthetic is found in its collected look.—
Patricia Shannon,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 May 2025
-
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
-
Large language models now exhibit extraordinary linguistic competence while remaining wholly incapable of accountability.—
Deb Roy,
The Atlantic,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Under current law, non-violent offenders who are incapable of proceeding in court but are not a harm to themselves or others are simply released.—
Julia Coin,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The streets here are lined with artisanal butcher shops, pasta makers, fishmongers, and wine and specialty goods stores, many run by the same families for generations.—
Lauren Schuster,
Kansas City Star,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Vitek’s Market, which has served the area for 110-plus years, was founded by a Texas-Czech butcher in 1915 and has been passed down through four generations.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
For more instant gratification, grab a muddler (or the back of a wooden spoon or the end of a rolling pin).—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate,
Denver Post,
19 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Incompetent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incompetent. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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