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
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 incompetent
Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
Here was a foolish and incompetent tribune of the nation’s racist vulgarians, opposed by the prosperous and the well educated, the civilized and the tolerant.
—Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Lang’s criminal case remains suspended because he has been deemed incompetent to stand trial, according to online court records.
—Adrienne Davis, jsonline.com, 20 Dec. 2025
The man accused of fatally shooting Robin Kaye, a longtime American Idol music supervisor, and her husband, the musician Thomas Deluca, inside their Los Angeles home last July, was declared incompetent to stand trial on Friday.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 19 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incompetent
Adjective
The owners didn’t care about it, the fans wanted smashmouth football, and the organization was too incompetent to ever hire the right people and bring in the right players to build a great offense.
—Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
Here was a foolish and incompetent tribune of the nation’s racist vulgarians, opposed by the prosperous and the well educated, the civilized and the tolerant.
—Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Lang’s criminal case remains suspended because he has been deemed incompetent to stand trial, according to online court records.
—Adrienne Davis, jsonline.com, 20 Dec. 2025
The man accused of fatally shooting Robin Kaye, a longtime American Idol music supervisor, and her husband, the musician Thomas Deluca, inside their Los Angeles home last July, was declared incompetent to stand trial on Friday.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 19 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incompetent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incompetent
Adjective
-
Apparently, the Meyers in Long Beach were ruled unfit as guardians, or Lynn refused to go back to them, so juvenile authorities located some blood relatives, possibly her father or half sister, and put her on a train back East.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
-
This is a couple unfit to govern a two-bedroom.—
Patricia Marx,
New Yorker,
23 Jan. 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
-
Today, however, these folks seem to be incapable of smiling while carrying out their governmental duties or speaking to the press or to Congress.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
7 Jan. 2026
-
But regardless of the system the head coach plays, West Ham are incapable of keeping a clean sheet.—
Roshane Thomas,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
If unavailable, ask your butcher to thinly slice it for you.—
Jesse Szewczyk,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Brandon Boys, the Richton Park director of economic development, said Friday residents seem most excited to see the offerings at the butcher counter as well as the store’s full-service offerings in the produce and deli sections.—
Addison Wright,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 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 1 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
